Walking In Worlds Beyond
by PegasusWingsVW
Summary: So, we've all seen the story where girl falls into Middle Earth and saves the day. I get it, these can get old fast. However! This story is different, hopefully realistic. No Mary-sue, no pairing. Emily Harris finds a strange little boy hiding in her barn in our world, and over the years gets swept into a tale of portals between worlds and other impossible things!
1. Chapter 1

The weather was really rather dreadful. Dark storm clouds rolled overhead and flashed with light. The wind howled and ripped leaves and branches off the trees. Emily Harris hurried through the down pour of rain towards the barn. It would be within the four weeks that she was alone on the farm tending things while her parents were away that the worst storm of the season had hit. It was hot for the spring,had been all week and finally it built up to the point of breaking.

She made it under the overhang were three horses looked at her with distaste from having to stand out in the rain.

"Yes yes, I'm sorry! Just wait, you'll be inside in a moment." she moved towards the door to unlatch it, only to note that the hook was not in its place. _That's odd, I distinctly remembered locking that this morning._ A gust of wind shook her from her musings and she pushed the thought aside as she slipped through the door into the barn.

"No Lady!" Lady, her large mare tried to push in as well, "You have to wait, now don't be rude!"

The mare obliged with reluctance and backed back out under the overhang. Emily sighed as she pushed the door back in place and move to turn on the lights. They lite open area in front of the horse stalls dimly. It would take a few minutes for them to warm up. Humming contentedly, Emily set about opening up the stall doors to see what was needed in terms of bedding. A strange noise stopped her in mid step. Then a soft rustle of straw from the end stall.

_Rats, or a raccoon. Better grab the pitch fork. _It was a well know fact that raccoon when cornered can be very vicious, and Emily felt better knowing she had some sort of weapon to help slow it down a bit. She cautiously swung open the last door and then just started in shock.

There, huddled against the darkest end of the stall crouched a little child. Initially, it was difficult to tell if it was a girl or a boy, but gradually as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, Emily saw that it was a young boy of about five or six. He was dressed in the most unusual attire, as though he just came from a medieval fair or Halloween party. And his chin length hair definitely looked the part. He looked at her with wide, tear filled grey eyes and didn't make a peep. Instantly, Emily lowered the pitch fork she had been holding ready and tried to make her face look friendlier.

"Its ok, I'm not going to hurt you," she said softly, "Can you tell me your name? Where did you come from?" He opened his mouth to respond, but the looked in obvious horror past her left side and called out, "Lok ot" in broken English. Emily spur round to see the biggest, most disgustingly hairy spider she had ever seen in her life. It's body was the size of a small dog, with the legs it looked twice that size.

Emily screamed and jumped backwards. She went numb with shock. _This is a bad dream, has to be_.

It skittered forwards clicking the pincers and made an awful hissing noise. The little boy whimpered and as Emily briefly glanced back at him she saw he was hiding his face in fear. It was in that moment that Emily felt her mind go blank and something akin to maternal fury kick in. All she knew what that she was going to protect this child if it killed her, and with that she drove the pitch fork through the body of the spider several times with a valiant roar. It made a sickening crunch and the spider screamed with a piercing cries until it finally died.

After it stopped moving, Emily stumbled away from the body shaking from head to foot and feeling incredibly nauseous. She proceeded to throw up on the concrete floor. Mind reeling, Emily attempted to make sense of what was happening. A little boy in strange dress is hiding in the barn, followed by a gigantic spider which she knew did not exist in the know world. What logical explanation could she find? Genetic experiment? Time rift? Other worlds? It took a bit to accept these possibilities. After kneeling for a while, she was aware of the little boy was beside her speaking to in a strange language and helping her to her feet as bravely as he could. Now, Emily was fairly familiar with world languages since her uncle was a linguistics university professor and would often show off by giving examples of languages. She had never heard this one the child spoke.

_Ok, so either time rift...or aliens? Other worlds? Regardless, I should make sure he is Ok and look after him until we figure something out..._

"Are you ok?" she asked him, whipping her mouth and casting a quick glance at the dead spider. The boy looked at the spider also and shivered. Then look back at her with serious grey eyes and waited. Emily tried again, only slower.

"Are you hurt? Do you even understand me?"

His brow furrowed in concentration, then he shook his head and said softly, "Speak- not –tongue?"

Emily took a deep breath and replied, "But do understand?" to which the little boy nodded slowly and then made a motion with his hand that Emily understood to be 'just a little bit'. She ran her fingers through her hair, forgetting she had dried blood on them, and took another deep breath.

"Right. Ok, first thing is first...we need to get rid of that-just in case it wakes up." then beckoning for the boy to follow, Emily grabbed a few old feed sacks and brought them over to the spider. Now that it was dead and all curled up, it was small enough fork into the bag. Holding the bag open and the shovel with the spider at the same time proved to be difficult, but the little boy surprised her by taking the bag and helping to keep it open. From there the pair of them went out the side door of the barn and headed to the burn barrel. It was an old metal barrel they sometimes used to depose of small piles brush. The bag and spider burned fast despite the rain. Thankfully the storm had mostly blown over and it was just wet. Standing at a distance under the shelter of a tree, Emily and the boy waited for it to be safe to leave the fire. After a while, the boy spoke.

"Estel." he said firmly.

"What?"

He looked up at her solemnly, and then motioned to himself and said, "Estel."

"Ohh, your name is Estel?" he nodded and then looked at her with stern expectancy which made her want to laugh. Pointing to herself she responded, "Emily." which seemed to satisfy him. She was amazed at how calm he was now that the spider was dead, and how undaunted he was about moving and burning the body. He had on a very tough and brave exterior that was way beyond his years, but there was a flicker in his eyes that told Emily he was still very afraid and vulnerable. They went back to the barn in silence to finish the chores. Emily was on a hair trigger since she didn't know how many spiders there could be. Estel seemed to pick up on the fact she was worried about more of them and managed to tell her there had been only one.

The chores went quickly, not that there was much to do. There were only a few sheep and the horses. Estel followed Emily silently like a shadow and mimicked everything she did with the hay, bedding and water. They made a very good team.

Once the horses were in doors happily munching their food, Emily took Estel to the house to feed him. She had no idea what to do with him. It wasn't like she could call the police. What could she tell them? That a little boy dropped through rift in time or space and brought a giant spider with him? They wouldn't believe her, and she had destroyed the body of the spider. But she didn't regret doing that, and something told her in her heart she shouldn't call the police or anyone. Something told her to wait at least a day.

While dinner was being prepared, Estel wandered about the house staring at everything in open mouthed amazement. Clearly he had never seen half of what is considered to be old technology, let alone new technology. He played with the light switches until Emily showed him something else to play with. Then after a bit he just curled up on the couch and stared at the wall. It hard to convince him to eat something, but Emily managed it. He fell asleep shortly after from pure emotional and physical exhaustion leaving Emily to watch over him and wonder.

That night was rough. For both Emily and Estel. Night terrors woke the boy several times, and the first time he was so disoriented, calling out in his strange language for someone specific. Gradually, he slept more soundly and Emily herself fell asleep, only to find she was having nightmares herself. Estel woke her the first time. After that she was never sleep deeply enough to not wake herself. By the time dawn was painting the horizon, Emily was finished trying to sleep and decided to make tea in the kitchen.

Just as she was putting the kettle on, she heard a sound from the garage. Like the door had just been closed quietly.

Heart pounding, hoping it was just her imagination, Emily grabbed a frying pan had moved towards the second door which lead to the garage. Before reaching it, the handle moved.

_Burglars? Seriously!? What is with my luck these days!_

Leaping back from the door which was now opening, Emily turned and run through the house to grab Estel closing doors as she went. There wasn't time to call the cops.

She woke Estel quickly and quietly, but by that time, the intruders were almost to the living room. Emily grabbed Estel and dragged him into a nearby closet with her. She motioned for him to stay behind her, then held her frying pan ready peeking through the crack in the door.

Three strange looking people entered the room noiselessly. They carried long bows, swords, and wore impressively intricate armour. Two of them looked identical, with stern faces and long brown hair held back with delicate braids. The other was blonde, equally long hair and piercing blue eyes. The moment they entered the room, they froze and listened.

Now Emily was certain she was being extremely quiet and she couldn't here a sound coming from Estel, so when all three heads snapped towards the closet in unison, Emily jumped out of her skin. The blonde one bent his bow towards the door while the other two moved quickly to either side of the door. Emily held her breath, ready to at least try and go down fighting with a frying pan. _I mean, hey, it worked in Tangled right?..._she thought weakly.

After a brief moment, one of them spoke authoritatively in the same strange language Estel had be speaking in. Emily had no idea what he said, but Estel gasped slightly and then launched himself past her out of the closet with an enthusiastic cry.

"No Estel wait!" Emily called, trying jump forwards to stop him only to find a sword at her throat.

"I would not move if I were you girl." said her attacker in a deep and dangerous, yet beautiful sounding voice.

Estel was embracing the other two people, whom she now realized had pointed ears and where all male. He was babbling excitedly in his strange tongue before he glanced back at her and saw the sword at her throat. He exclaimed something loudly to the one holding the sword to Emily's throat. Running forwards, Estel took her hand and put himself between her and the strange warrior. As the three creatures lowered their weapons as Estel appeared to be explaining who Emily was and what had happened. When he finally stopped speaking, one of the brunettes addressed her with great gentility and kindness.

"It appears we owe you a debt of gratitude my lady. We thank you from the depths of our being for protecting Estel and ensuring his well being. Please accept our most sincere apologizes for our harsh treatment of you!"

And with those words, all four males, including Estel, bowed to her deeply with their hands over their hearts.

Emily was rather flustered and went bright pink. Gathering herself she managed to stumble out the words, "I...you are welcome. I'd do it again in a heartbeat." To which they inclined their heads in acknowledgement gracefully.

"We shall take our brother and go now. There is very little time in which to return to our own world."

Blinking, Emily was still trying to process what was going on. She now had someone who could answer her many questions, but there was no time to ask them! It was very frustrating. Not wanting to delay them from being able to return home, least of all Estel, Emily settled for responding with,"Oh...of course! Um...right. I guess this is goodbye."

They spoke rapidly with Estel, who looked both relieved and then downcast. The boy looked at Emily and then rushed to her nearly knocking her over with a big hug. He smiled sadly up at her and left with the others leaving Emily in stunned silence.

By the time she shook the stunned feeling and run out the door to see where the went, they were gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Two Years Later:

The final year of high school was the most boring time of Emily's life. She couldn't understand why everyone made such a big deal about senior year. It was just another year of school and the only difference was that they expected you to have your entire future planned out.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Emily kicked a pile of leaves as she wandered down the driveway towards the house. She had hoped a run would do her good, to clear her mind and give some answers. The cloudy September day only made her feel more melancholy. Life was a strange journey filled with unspoken expectations from adults. They treated you as though you were an adult one minute, and then the next patronize you as though you were a child once more. It was frustrating transition period, one which Emily wished was over. It wasn't like her parents were the ones being frustrating, although it was known to happen on occasion (its only natural), it was the rest of the world. That push to pick a 'career' and get off to a University or at least a college and be 'successful'. _What is successful anyway? Who gets to decide that!? If I make enough money, will that be success? If I become a great doctor or scientist, is that success?!_ _There has to be more to life than money and achievements that are used to judge your worth! _

Shaking her head, feeling none the wiser about life, Emily trudged on. In truth she really didn't feel as though any amount of effort on her part to become the worlds' definition of 'successful' would do any good, which made her wonder, what was the point of all this? Her musing where brought to a halt as an eerie quiet settled over the trees around her. A cold shiver ran up her spine and her heart began to beat quickly. Something was coming.

Abruptly, a strange whistling noise drew her attention. It grew louder and then was accompanied by other pitches of whistling from all around. The next thing she knew, Emily was being dragged rapidly backwards by an invisible force. She struggled and twisted, trying to break free. There was a sudden feeling of falling through dry sand and cold water and the world around her vanished leaving only darkness. Suddenly light and colour flooded up through the darkness towards her and Emily tumbled down into it crashing into soft wet earth. She lay there frozen for several minutes trying to catch her breath and let her mind catch up. Adrenalin kicked in and she shakily pushed herself up onto her knees so she could look around.

She was kneeling beside what looked like a road of sorts. It was muddy, uneven and ill kept. The path twisted away in rocky barren foot hills on one side, and down beside a forest on the other. The sky was still grey, filled with gloomy clouds. Smoke rose far off in the distance from what Emily supposed was a town. Risking to her feet, Emily shook her head, trying to clear the image of a drastically different surrounding than that of her drive way. _Uh Oh, I think this is the part where I should probably start to be really worried and cry or something, but I'm to proud to admit I'm scared out of my mind so I don't...what is going on!? Where am I? Dream maybe, hallucination? I could be in a coma? Abducted by aliens? Maybe I should just click my heels together..._

To amuse herself and make light of her situation, Emily tried it. It didn't work. She then tried again for good measure, harder this time. Still nothing. _Ooook, it was worth a try...well, start walking maybe? _And she did. She turned and walked straight into a large boulder. Emily stumbled back then briskly righted her self, and glared at the rock. Laughter sounded from across the road and down a bit from her. Emily looked up to see a group of men who had somehow appeared over a small hill unnoticed by her. There were five of them, rough looking with dirty faces and matted beards. They wore strange medieval looking clothing. Perhaps they could tell her where she was! Upon closer consideration however, she decided it might be best not to ask them. Emily had seen enough greasy, ill meaning men in her life to know when she saw one. One look at their eyes and how they traveled over her body was enough for Emily to know she should ran as far away from them as possible, and fast. There was a brief silence as they all stood leering at her, then Emily bolted. There was terrible hoot of excitement from behind her and within seconds, the beasts were in pursuit.

Feet pounding into the ground, Emily made for the woods, hoping that she could somehow lose them in the trees. A quick glance behind her gave her a jolt of both fear and hope. The others appeared to have been slower runners, for even as she raced across the field towards the trees, she noticed only one of them was really closing distance. Thankful once again for her experience with cross-country running and the fact that she wasn't in terrible shape, Emily sprinted harder praying she would escape. But it wasn't fast enough. The taller and faster man tackled her to the ground and laughed horribly. Emily screamed, struggled and kicked. Her hand closed around a medium sized rock. The fowl smelling man dragged her roughly to her feet making sickening comments about what would happen to her. The others were closer now, jogging and laughing. Calling to mind her minimal self defence knowledge, Emily threw a well aimed knee into the brute's crown jewels. He loosen his grip on one arm with a grasp. Mercifully he had let go of the arm which was attached to the hand still holding the rock. She swung quickly as hard as she could. The rock connected with his jaw making a sickening pop noise as the jaw shifted in it's socket. He released her arm and recoiled with a roar.

Emily turned and scrambled into the trees as fast as possible, not even daring to look back. She could hear them yelling and knew they where not far behind, but she hoped that she had injured the one bad enough and the others had still been far enough away to give her a good head start.

Lungs burning for air, Emily pressed on as fast as she could, dodging trees and rocks as she went. The light was fading quickly, making it difficult to see where she was going. Despite her supportive running shoes and fair balance, she found that moving at such speeds on rock and uneven ground was not easy and she knew it was only a matter of time before she turned her ankle. To top that off, there were steep hills and sharp drops all over the place. She slowed her pace ever so slightly to try and compensate for her lack of stability. It wasn't enough however. She stumble and fell at an unexpected dip in the ground, rolling the rest of the way down a steep hill with little grace. Her head hit a rock causing her to feel even more light headed than she already was from running so fast. There were several other abrupt drops and uneven ground that seemed to beat her all the way down, leaving her entire body battered. She tumbled to a stop and lay there for a few moments stunned. _Why does this always happen? _She thought dazedly, _This should only happen in lame movie's where the girl is useless! I don't wanna be useless! _Raising cautiously from the ground, Emily realized she was hurting all over and couldn't actually get up and could only half sit with her back against a stump. Hysteria kicked in and tears of pain and panic welled up in her eyes._ I am so going to die! They're going to find me and kill me(and only that if I'm lucky)! _She leaned there, waiting and frantically trying to level out her breathing which was coming in gasps. Gradually, the pain subsided and she was able to rise. A twig snapped softly and there was a rustle from the bushes to her left. Head whipping in the direction of the sound she peered hard into the shadows of the growing twilight. A figure crept silently out of the trees towards her. Fear rose in her chest and threatened to crush her throat.

In a fit of self preservation, Emily bolted once more with only half the speed she had earlier and a good deal more pain. Glancing over her shoulder, she was relieved she didn't see the figure anymore. Hope sparked that she had somehow lost him and would be safe. It was short lived and before she knew it, her pursuer was somehow in front of her. In fact, Emily nearly ran straight into his waiting arms and would have if she hadn't been moving slower than normal. With a stifled shriek, she skidded to a stop and immediately trying to escape another direction. Her body however decided that enough was enough and would not cooperate allowing her feet to slip out from under her so she ended up collapsed in a heap.

Emily felt like a frightened lamb that had just frozen in the middle of being hunted and was now just limp, waiting to be eaten. The terrified girl lay there listening for her doom to approach and her worst nightmares to come true. She didn't hear him hardly at all until he was maybe a few steps from her. A desperate sob tore from her throat as the suspense grew. The steps stopped. Emily waited for a hand to fall, crying silently with her eyes closed tightly. It never came, instead a quiet and gentle, strangely accented voice floated to her through the dusk.

"I'm not going to harm you my lady, but we must be very quiet. You pursuers are not far. I give you my word I am not one of them, I will not hurt you."

Opening her eyes hesitantly so she could look at the man, Emily found that he crouched a few feet away from her with his hands out turned in a gesture of peace. His cloths were just as strange and wore as the other men. His face was shadowed by a hood, which made Emily naturally more wary of him since she preferred to see people's eyes and face. It was the best way to judge character and intent.

"Who are you?" she managed to whisper.

He didn't reply right away, but tilted his head slightly to the side, either listening or considering her question.

"In these parts I am called Strider. Although I have others" he said finally, then said almost hesitantly, "And I believe I may know your name...it's Emily is it not?"

The girl on the ground shifted slightly to wrap her arms around herself so she could try and stop shaking, then she registered what had just been said. Taking a shaky breath she asked in a quavering voice, "H-...how do you know that?"

"I suppose it would have been better to start with another one of my names then, since I am right and you are who I suspected you were." he said thoughtfully, "I believe I introduced myself as Estel the last time we met..."

All thought froze at the sound of the name. Emily slowly lifted her chin so she could attempt to see his face again. It was less visible than before. Surely this full grown man was not little Estel whom she had found in her barn two years ago! No, it had to be some kind of trick. Oh, but Emily did want so badly for it to be true. Alone in a strange world, it would be good to have someone who would take care of her, protect her and maybe even tell her what was going on!...If it was Estel..._No wait, Estel or no Estel, strangers are not to be trusted. He could have anything planned, he could be just pretending to be trust-worthy._ The doubting and cautious side of Emily kicked in._ Just because you might have saved him as a child doesn't mean he won't do something to you...think Emily...what to do...I need help, but I don't can't trust this guy anymore than I can trust those other brutes. _Her decision was warily made, because for all this man sounded gentle and acted well meaning, Emily sensed that he was very dangerous, wild even and a glint of metal told her he carried a sword. She had no doubt he could use it. _What have I got to lose?_

She settled for at least pretending that she trusted him and made a rather weak joke, "Well, you certainly grew up fast?"

"And you have hardly changed my lady." came his easy reply. He shifted his position so he was slightly closer to her and Emily stiffened. He must have noticed somehow for he didn't move again.

"My lady, I can keep you safe from harm, guide you through these woods to people who may be able to help to get you home again, if you would let me. Allow me repaid my debt. Will you trust me?"

Emily considered his proposition. What choice did she have? Her limbs were becoming cold and tight, not to mention very sore. She couldn't hardly move, and she had no idea where she was or how to survive in this strange world. She would have to at least go with him.

"I suppose so...and please just call me Emily?" she whispered.

"Excellent, Emily." he seemed pleased by her decision, making her wonder what he would have done if she had refused. As if sensing her thoughts he added sincerely, "I will not betray that trust. Now then, we had best get moving. Are you injured badly? Will you be able to walk?"

Emily felt tears flow from her eyes once more. Now that she was finally keeping still and her body was able to inform her brain of it's displeasure, she was gradually more aware of the aches and pains. Her ribs ached terribly whenever she drew breath, her head throbbed and her left leg felt hot and sticky.

"I don't know."

Strider nodded and then rose gracefully and moved closer to her saying, "Let us see."

With his help, Emily did stand shakily wincing in pain and head swimming, but when they attempted to walk, she got so dizzy she could not see and felt her knees buckling beneath her. She collapsed once more, hardly more than an dead weight being supported by Strider.

Emily moaned and whimpered out, "I'm sorry, I can't-" before feeling bile rise suddenly in her throat. She managed to choke out "Gonna be sick-" before lurching sideways and emptying the remaining contents of her already empty stomach. From far away she could hear her guide speaking soothingly to her and could feel him holding back her hair with one hand and supporting her body with his other arm. When she was finished, and feeling even more miserable and dazed than she had already felt, Strider(or Estel, who ever he was) lifted her effortlessly into his arms and set off into the woods.

It took a moment for Emily to register she was letting a compete strange carry her off to some unknown location. She tried half-heartedly to wiggle free, but Strider only gently yet firmly tightened his hold.

"Emily you need to trust me. I am going to take care you, but please try not to make it harder." he said kindly. The girl heaved a shaky sigh and warily settled into a slightly more relaxed state. He continued, "Can you tell me your injuries? Specifically what hurts the most."

"My head, leg...the left leg, and its hurts to breath...everything else is just really sore..." she trailed off into silence, wondering why he wanted to know.

"Is your head bleeding?" Strider asked, to which Emily mumbled a no. "Very well, it is important that you stay awake, we are not far from camp and I will treat your wounds there, but in the mean time do not fall asleep. Head injuries are not to be taken lightly and it is dangerous to sleep when one has received one."

Emily nodded mutely, then when Strider insisted she respond with words to prove she was wake, she said, "Yes. I understand."

"Good." he sounded relieved.

They continued in silence, other than the occasional word from Strider when he was making sure Emily was still conscious. The headache was awful, and despite the fact that her guide was carrying her gently, each step he took sent a jolt of pain through her temples and forehead. Mind working feebly to sort out the events of the day and how she was going to deal with her current situation, which at any moment could turn dangerous. No matter what this Strider had said, she still couldn't trust him. Everything that had happened told her to trust no one, not even people who seem like they wanted to help..._not that I could get away right now even if I wanted to..._a tremor of fear crept up her spine. One has never understood the full magnitude of being at someone's mercy until they are completely helpless to even try to escape. _Maybe I could run now? I feel a bit better...oh who am I trying to kid, I can't even get away right now...not unless I fake being sick or something? That could work, but then where would I go? Wait, do I smell smoke? _

Her thoughts were interrupted when they broke through the dense bushes into a small clearing were a wood fire smouldered slightly. Strider's long legs slowed to a stop and he stood still, listening. Then he called out softly in that strange language the Emily remember from when she first met Estel. He was answered by soft laughter and another voice drifted out of the trees above them, sounding very amused about something. There was a brief exchange, in which there seemed to be a decent amount of humour and then three figures dropped from the trees into the dim circle of light from the dying fire. Strider moved towards it and set Emily down on the dry ground, then set about removing his cloak and a pack that she hadn't noticed. The girl curled herself into a ball and then watched as the other people, whom she determined where also male, moved about the camp. One was building up the fire, another rummaging through some packs, while the other was no where to be seen. Although not one had made any motion of harming her, Emily felt her stomach turning with anxiety. She thought of trying to run again, but then it occurred to her that if she was in the same world that Estel had come from, there might well be giant spider lurking in the darkness. _So, no on the running...besides once again, where would I go? _

Now that the light of the fire allowed her to better see the faces of her company, Emily set about cautiously observing their features. To her surprise, she recognised two of them. They were the twins, those identical creatures with deadly weapons, who broken into her home, and who had come from Estel. She remembered how happy and relieved the child had been to see them. The memory gave her a very small feeling of comfort. The third emerged from the tree's caring more wood for the fire. At first she thought he was the other person who had been in her home, for he was blond haired and had piercing blue eyes, but his features were not quite as imposing as the other from two years ago. That is to say, they were all imposing and intimidating at first glance, but they each had their own kind of grandeur about them.

Strider's movement beside her drew her attention back to her tentative rescuer. He had chin length dark brown hair, with a little grey in it. The eyes were what caused Emily to be completely convinced that his man was truly Estel. Very intense, thoughtful grey eyes, like a pensive stormy sky. There was no mistaking those eyes.

"You really are Estel." she said in barely a whisper. He apparently heard however, because his stern face broke into a grin.

"Indeed I am." he said with a gentle chuckle. Then he sobered. "Now, let us see how badly you are hurt and get you mended shall we?"

Emily had forgotten about his promise to 'tend her wounds' as he put it. She felt suddenly very self conscious, but before she could even try and come up with a protest, he began to carefully examine her head. His hand were warm and seemed to transfer the heat into Emily's scalp easing the pain. As he poked and prodded her scalp, Emily became aware of another presence beside them. She tensed and involuntarily snapped her head to the side to see who it was. It was one of the twins setting down a small pot of hot water. Estel glanced at the other and then said quietly, "Ah yes, I nearly forgot to introduce everyone to you."

The twin cut in with an impish grin before he could continue. "Yes, very rude our Estel is...all this time spent in the wild has dulled his manners."

Estel smiled and then cleared his throat, "As I was saying, this is my brother Elladan, and our other brother there is Elrohir." Lowering his voice in mock discretion he added, "Do be careful, they are hopeless children sometimes and will tease without mercy."

Emily felt a small smile tug at her mouth and almost properly smiled when the other twin gave an overly dramatic sound of protest.

"And this," said Estel as the blond walked closer and handed Estel a small pouch, "Is Legolas, a dear friend of ours."

Emily gazed at the three, trying hard to pin point what it was about them that made them so...different from Estel.

Legolas smiled kindly down at Emily, and then spoke. "I think perhaps our young friend is having trouble deciding if we are human or not."

"What do you mean human or not?" asked Emily, startled into using her voice. There was a general look of humour shared before Estel answered her.

"They are not human. In our world there are many different races for example there are men, dwarves, hobbits (or Halflings), and elves, to name a few. Elves are immortal, with great speed and agility, as well as impeccable hearing and eyesight...and a habit of being very merry and irritating."

The elves laughed out loud at the end of Estel's description. Emily just looked bewildered.

"Elves." she said in disbelief, then murmured, "Maybe I did get a concussion...next their going to be telling me there are wizards, dragons and magic!"

Suddenly the poor girl felt very tired. She rubbed one of her eyes fretfully and then swayed in her sitting position. Estel immediately reached out and supported her.

"Come come," he said scolding to the others, "We are being inconsiderate. You are still not properly tended Emily, let me take look."

His hands returned to examining her head briefly. Conversing with Elladan in their strange yet beautiful language, the elf shifted and also reach out to touch her tender head. Like Estel, he had a gentle touch and warmth seemed to come from his fingers. He examined the lump, then briefly searched Emily's eyes as well. Looking away finally, he looked relieved. They assured her she was no longer in any danger from the blow she had received, explaining that Estel had healed it. Deciding to just role with it, Emily nodded and excepted what they were telling her, even if it was impossible. Estel then handed her a wooden cup of what appeared to be tea, saying it would help with the rest of her pains. Emily took the cup and almost drank it, but an awful thought stopped her. She sat frozen, staring at the drink, well aware that Estel, Legolas and Elladan were still watching her, but she unsure what to do next. She finally managed to softly wonder out loud, "What's in it?"

"Its a herbal mixture of willow bark." supplied Estel, then noting tension building in his patient he asked, "Emily, what is it you are so afraid of?"

Her brown eyes slowly rose to meet his. They were so wide with worry and fear. Then she bit her lip and looked away, but in the process he caught her eyes darting around to look at the others with that same frightened look. Before he could say anything however, Elladan spoke.

"Emily, although I am sure Estel has already given you his word he will not harm you, I think perhaps I can put you mind at ease about what you fear." his words came soothingly and with quiet understanding. Surprised at how the elf used her name with an odd kind of familiarity instead of just saying 'my lady', Emily's attention was drawn to the speaker. Emily felt her eyes compelled to meet the elf's. The grey eyes were filled with compassion and seemed to see right through her. "There are creatures in our world, terrible fowl creatures that kill with out mercy and make sport of their prey. Our mother was captured by such creatures, tortured, defiled, and her spirit was broken before we could rescue her." His voice became hard, yet not unkind as he spoke. "Never, never in ten thousand year would we ever become what they are, or do what they did."

The girl never broke eye contact with Elladan. She watched the real anguish and pain flash through his eyes as he spoke, and she knew he was telling her the truth. Dropping her eyes finally and looking back into the tea, Emily felt as though a weight lifted from her shoulders. Suddenly feeling terribly foolish and ashamed over her suspicion, she wanted to explain. Emily found her self choking out nonsensical, broken phrases.

"I'm sorry- I just...after what happened today, with what almost happened... I couldn't. I-thought, well I don't really know what I thought- " tears welled up in her eyes and she had to stop talking. Face burning and not knowing what else to do, she quickly downed the tea and then clasped the cup in her now shaking hands. Estel gently took the cup from her and gave her hands a comforting squeeze.

"There is nothing to forgive." he said reassuringly, "Now, let's see about the rest of your hurts. You mentioned your leg and that you were having difficulty breathing. Was there anything else?"

Suddenly realizing what would be involved with tending to her sore ribs, Emily decided to try and avoid anymore treatment. Once again however, as if he had sensed her apprehension, Estel was already inspecting her left leg before she could protest. One glance at it and Emily felt a new kind of dread fill her. It looked terrible. There was dried blood everywhere and looked like it was going to need to be stitched up. Estel confirmed her suspicion after washing off the blood and finding the actual wound. To her relief it wasn't as big a gash as she originally thought, in fact it had already mostly closed. But it was a short lived relief when Estel informed her he had to re-open it so he could clean it. She didn't like the sound of that, and she liked it less when he called Legolas over to hold her still.

"Is this really necessary?" Emily said as casually as possible, but her voice quavered terribly, "I mean, I have a great immune system...and its not big...can't we just leave it be? It doesn't even hurt anymore-" Her voice cut off with a soft yelp when Estel gently flicked her leg.

"Doesn't hurt? Interesting..." he looked up at her with a small smile playing at his mouth, "It will not hurt much once I am through, I can promise you that. Legolas will hold your upper body still, and Elladan will assist me in keeping your leg from escaping. I assure you, we will try to make it as painless as possible."

Nodding to Legolas, who knelt down beside Emily, Estel retrieved a small sharp looking knife from his bag of supplies.

"Would you prefer to sit up or lay down Emily?" the blond elf asked softly.

Emily felt a slightly desperate and sassy reply surface and it popped out before she could stop it. "I'd really rather just not do any of this and be on my merry way thank you." The elves laughed lightly at her comment, but Emily knew there was no getting out of this. She sighed, "Sitting up I guess."

Legolas nodded and then moved behind her, carefully positioning his arms around her upper body so she was firmly held still against his chest. Unable to move, Emily watched briefly as the sharp tool moved towards the wound. Suspense and anticipation of pain cause her to turn her head to the side so it was half buried in Legolas's arm. She shut her eyes tightly and held her breath. Then something strange happened. Instead of the pain she expected, there was what felt like warm water rolling across her leg in waves. Although she was aware the knife was cutting into her, she hardly felt anything other than the strange sensation. Letting out her breath in tentative relief, Emily opened on eye to peek at what was happening, Estel was cleaning the gash and then prepared the edges of the cut to be stitched back together. Before she knew it, they were done and Legolas had released her.

"I don't understand," she said, "Why didn't I feel anything?"

"Elven magic. Between myself, Elladan and Legolas, it was not difficult to sweep away any pain you would have felt." replied Estel.

"Magic? Seriously?" Emily looked slightly sceptical, but then she realized aloud, "Sure, I'm in a strange world with elves, dwarves and goodness knows what else, why shouldn't there be magic?"

"You mean to say that you truly do not have magic in your land?" asked Elrohir, speaking for the first time. "Estel made it sound like you yourself were a magical creature of great power when we got him home all those years ago...he kept going on about light inside glass jars that came on with the flip of a switch and flameless heat."

"I what?" exclaimed the girl, "No, there is no such thing as magic in my land...I think...and those other things have a perfectly good explanation behind them that does not involve magic!"

"Well, we can debate this later, for now I want to see to your ribs." broke in Estel, once more making it clear that he would not be deterred from his healing.

Still aware it was foolish and vain, but wanting to save her dignity and comfort, Emily conjured up her best innocent smile, responded with, "They really don't bother me anymore. I'm mostly just tired now, you needn't bother."

She met his eyes to try and drive the lie home, but it took only an instant to see he didn't believe her. He became very stern, causing Emily to squirm internally and then look away feeling very young and guilty. When Estel caught her chin and forced her to look at him once more, Emily wanted to sink into the ground.

"It is very unwise to lie to me Emily." he said gravely. Emily's stomach turned with shamed embarrassment for being so childish about it all and she remained silent.

The sound of merry laughter broke the tension in the air.

"My goodness Estel, you have nearly mastered that look as well as Ada!" chortled Elrohir.

"Yes, I must agree, it is very close to Lord Elrond, who I might add is the most terrifying person to try and get anything by...next to my own father and Lady Galadriel." said Legolas with both seriousness and humour.

"Oh dear, you really must not feel too chastised, Emily," added Elladan, appearing beside them once more, "The only reason Estel is so good at that frowning, dangerous and disapproving look of his is because he has so often been on the receiving end of it. However, that being said, I feel compelled to share a bit of advice with you." The elf leaned in and spoke quietly as though he was about to share a great secret. "Healers are dangerous folk, and somehow they always know when you are hiding something. Take it from one who knows it well; they will always find you out, and it is always better to cooperate."

Estel's face tugged into a small smile, one which he was clearly fighting to control. "That is rich advice Elladan, it is unfortunate you still do not take it." Elladan winked at Emily and then retuned to the fire without replying.

"You will need to remove your layers."

Emily sighed and mumbled, "Fine" before gingerly unzipping her jacket and slipping out of it. Then after being gently prompted by her physician, she removed her t-shirt so she was only in her sports bra. That was the extent of her discomfort however. Estel worked quickly and in such a manner that Emily did not feel terribly self-conscious or vulnerable. None of the ribs were broken, although one was cracked and the rest badly bruised. After having them wrapped with a salve, they stopped hurting and breathing was easier.

By the time Emily was completely tended and dressed, the elves by the fire had prepared lovely smelling soup which Emily ate willingly. Staring into the fire the girl mulled over her day with a foggy and tired mind. She wondered how this had all happened or if it was even real. The pain had been real, and Estel had been real two years ago. _But why am I here? And how do I get home?_

Gradually, as she stared into the flames letting her mind drift, her eyes became heavy and kept shutting against her will. She rocked forwards off the stone she had been sitting on, snapping wake enough to realize arms had stopped her fall and were carefully lowering her to the ground a safe distance from the fire. Someone draped a blanket around her and the comfort of peaceful voices sent Emily to sleep before her head touched the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey there people! It's been a while, and I do hope I still have people reading this! First off I just want to say thank-you so very much for all the lovely reviews! You who reviewed and are following this story are the only reason I'm still at it (not that I wouldn't still write the story...I just might not have kept publishing). Anyway, enjoy! Hopefully this isn't to disappointing. I personally like it! **

"Awake Emily." a voice called from far away, gentle but firm, "Come, it is time to get up little one_._"

Emily woke with a start, heart pounding and feeling a dream still fresh in her mind. She had been being chased by those awful men once more, but before she could escape them they had turned into giant spiders and where about to wrap her all up in a web so they could devour her. She gave a little shiver staring ahead at her surroundings. Legolas crouched next to her, blue eyes slightly concerned.

"Are you well _penneth_?" he asked, lapsing into elvish at the end of the sentence. Emily blinked a few times and then shook herself harder, an action she immediately regretted for it made her whole body ache terribly.

"Yup, I think so. Just had a bad dream is all..."

The elf nodded in understanding. "Come, leave it behind for now, walk in the light of the dawn. Should the shadows persist, we will overcome them."

Emily smiled a little at the poetic words and let them sink into her heart. Already the dream faded and was replaced with the discomfort of hunger and the need for a bathroom. Having been on various camping trips, Emily was not unaccustomed to using nature as a toilet, she was more worried about how to express her need in a way that wasn't to humiliating. She sifted uncomfortably where she sat and looked at Legolas once more. He seemed highly entertained, as though he already guessed her dilemma. Emily went slightly pink and bit back an embarrassed snicker. The elf grinned and then pointed to the woods.

"If you wish to relieve yourself, I would suggest over in that direction. There is suitable coverage and privacy. Do not wander to far though."

"Thank-you," said Emily quickly, grateful that it hadn't been more awkward. After glancing around the camp hastily to make sure the others where all accounted for, she stiffly climbed to her feet. It was cold, even more so without the blanket. Shivering, Emily hurried to into the woods. When finished and feeling much better, she scampered through the concealing brush back into the clearing and snatched up the blanket once more to snuggle around her. Turning to the amused looking group that was now looking at her, she felt rather unnerved.

"What?" she asked worriedly. The elves didn't reply, but their smiles grew into chuckling. Emily frowned a little, wondering what was so funny. _What, do I have dirt on my face or something?_

"Forgive us Emily," said Estel kindly, "We are merely appreciating your youth and unique mannerisms."

Emily only felt more self-conscious and said with eyes narrowing, "What does that mean?" causing them to laugh harder. One of the twins rose and draped an arm around her shoulders, guiding her to sit with them saying, "You were just...well, let us say, noisier than a dwarf when you bounded out of the trees just now, and then sweet as a kitten snuggling back into your blanket...so delightfully young, unguarded and innocent. We are not often privileged to witnessing such things in the deep of the wild, it brings lightness to our hearts."

Emily sat and took the strange piece of food offered her and a flask of water. She looked at it for a moment while thinking of how to respond.

"Oh." was all she could say, "I really don't know how to take that...or what you mean..."

"He means it is good to have you here in our midst. It is a compliment, except for being compared to a dwarf...that was unnecessarily rude." said Legolas casting a disapproving look at the twins. They inclined there heads in agreement before saying, "Yes, Legolas is correct. You are not as loud as a dwarf. Much less so, in fact. One can here a dwarf clomping along from at least a mile away."

"Oh...thank you? Your welcome, I think?"

They grinned and chuckled once more as Emily squirmed in her seat with bemusement. Eating the strange bread (which was delicious), Emily was shocked to find she felt completely full and satisfied. It seemed impossible given that it had been such a small piece, but Emily was starting to give up questioning the impossible.

"How are you feeling this morning Emily?" asked Estel, grey eyes sweeping over her small frame in assessment.

"Not to bad," she said truthfully, "Sore muscles and such, but I'm not worried since that always happens when I sleep on the ground."

"That is well. I would like to check over the injuries from yesterday before we leave." he stated rather than asked. Emily almost objected, but then remembered Elladan's advice and how frightening Estel had become when she lied the night before, so she in the end she complied.

Standing up to follow Estel and finding herself standing right beside him for the first time, it suddenly struck Emily how tall the man really was, in fact she wondered if he was just a bit taller than the elves, who all definitely seemed taller than 6ft. She stared up at him for a brief moment before blurting out, "Wow, you are **really** tall." Estel chuckled as he looked down at her open mouthed expression. "Seriously though, how long has it been since you where in my barn? Because it's really only been about two years for me, so unless you just grow up super fast here, I'm guessing it's been longer?"

"It has been nearly twenty-nine years since we last met." he said. "It would seem time does not pass at the same rate for our worlds."

"I guess not...so maybe when I get back home next to no time will have passed at all." said Emily and then she began to mutter quietly to herself as she followed Estel. "I bet I could work this out. Let me see...two years vs. twenty-nine...not divisible by two...wait, why would I divide it, I'm sure there is a reason...it just feels like a thing I could do? Crap, and then I need to factor in minutes and days. What if the days are longer here? They might not work on a twenty-four hour system...what if they just have more days in a year, or less? And I don't have any proof that time will pass at the same rate...oh never mind, I always did hate word problems and it's to early for this."

She plopped down on the stone Estel motioned to and sighed. It really would be a fascinating problem to solve, unfortunately she wasn't confident she was the person to solve it. She gazed up at the sky. Guessing by how the amount of light there was streaming through the trees, it looked to be still very early in the day. _No wonder I feel so sleepy..._she thought with a yawn. By the time Estel was satisfied that she was fit to travel, the elves had already packed up the small camp and made it look as thought no one had ever been there at all. Before long they were off into the trees.

"Sooo where are we going?" Emily asked as she walked between Estel and Legolas. The twins were walking each alone, one further ahead of the group, the other falling slightly behind it. Emily couldn't help but assume that this was on purpose to keep her as safe as possible.

"We go to Imladris, or Rivendell as some call it." said Estel.

"Where is that?"

"Near to the mountains, northeast of where we are. It will be at very least a four day journey, so long as the weather holds." Estel said then added in a slightly more worried tone, "It is late in the summer, nearly autumn and the days are rapidly becoming cooler. I fear we may get a great deal of rain before the week is out, and I do not have confidence that the clothing you wear will be warm enough. We will need to remedy that soon."

"Oh, yea. These shoes in water will not keep my feet dry and I'm afraid my jacket really isn't that warm or water repellent." said Emily sadly, then in attempts to sound bit tougher than she felt she said lightly, "But that's OK, I am Canadian after all...meaning that where I live it can get really cold so I'm used to it." However she did feel worried now as well. Getting a chill while sleeping outdoors was nothing to take lightly. She had been on enough camping trips to know that keeping dry and warm were the most important things for surviving and not being miserable. Estel nodded and kept walking in silence.

"Do not worry, we will find a way to keep you warm." said Legolas encouragingly.

The morning light began to fade into the gathering clouds, only peeking out briefly every few minutes. Emily enjoyed herself for the first hour or so, walking with little conversation and listening to the birds in the trees. Presently, they came out of the trees and began to cross hilly and rocky ground. Emily found herself thinking back to when Estel had been found by the Elves in her house and she suddenly had a thought.

"Estel?" the man looked down at her to indicate that she had his attention, "It was Elladan and Elrohir who came to get you when you were in my home right?"

"Yes. And the Elven Lord Glorfindel. It was his power that enabled the portal to open once more on your worlds' side so they could take me home. My father, Lord Elrond and the Elven King Thranduil opened the portal to send them to your world and reminded behind to help keep it open as we returned." he said.

"What happened anyway? How did you get in my barn? I've wanted to know ever since you all just disappeared into thin air and it's bothered me!"

"It is a strange tale." he said with at slow smile, " It started with an angry, foolish child. I had wandered far from the safety of Imladris in a childish escapade to prove myself strong enough to travel with my brothers to the Greenwood. Unfortunately, not far past the boarder of the Elven dwelling I was captured by a band of mercenaries. Believing me to be of value, they keep me alive and took them with them over the mountains towards a dark and terrible place in the north. I managed to escaped into the Greenwood when we neared the realm of Mirkwood, but was quickly set upon by a group of hungry young spiders. Fortune seemed to smile upon me however, for I had also stumbled upon an ancient ruin of stones which housed the doorway for the portal which took me to you. Still I do not fully understand who it came that the doorway opened... My brothers and Glorfindel, along with my father tracked down my captors and quickly found my trail at the edge of the woods. They were met by the Elven King Thranduil who had felt the portal open and come to investigate, but I was no where to be found. Now my father has a certain gift which sometimes allows him to see into the past and the future. He was able to see what happened and they quickly planned my rescue from there, opening the doorway once more and finding the way to into your house to save me, only to have you standing in the way ready to fight them with nothing but a frying pan." Estel smiled fondly at the memory. "They were really very surprised to see that. Of all the menacing creatures they thought they might encounter..."

"They met a terrified fourteen year old with a frying pan hiding in a closet..." finished Emily in a rather dry tone, then she giggled to herself.

They walked on for what felt like ages to Emily, over rocky uneven ground under a gloomy and grey sky. About early afternoon the wind picked up and Emily began to feel the temperature drop. She sighed to herself and trudged on, straining slightly to keep up with the her companions. She had managed to keep pace comfortably for most of the morning, but gradually her stamina was wearing out and her feet began to get blisters in her wet shoes. By the afternoon, her ribs were aching once more and she felt the cut in her leg getting irritated from the activity. Stubbornly intent on not becoming a burden or slowing the others down any more than she had to, she said nothing about her discomfort and keep walking. Estel however had apparently been keeping a close eye on her and finally announced that they would stop for a while. Emily didn't protest when Estel made her sit and then began to gently remove her shoes and socks revealing nasty blisters on her ankles and the sides of her feet. He wrapped them in cloth with a shave to numb the pain, promising that he would do more for them when they rested for the night. Then he made her drink a mouthful of odd tasting clear liquid which made her feel much more warm, comfortable and energetic. She wondered once more, not for the last time, what was in all these remedies Estel kept giving her. _I hope its not addictive or something like meds from earth can be like...or like coffee, yum! I love coffee! But it never goes well. I always get so wired and then I can't sleep!_

With Emily feeling less miserable, they continued on once more. The twins switched with Estel and Legolas at one point. Emily had no idea how to tell the pair apart at this point, so when conversing with them, she avoided using any names at all. They were delightful to walk with, not the Estel and Legolas were unpleasant, it was just that the twins had a contagious spark of fun about them that Emily found lifted her spirits. They really reminded her of her own older brothers who joked and laughed, always bantering about something and making the others laugh. But at the same time, the twins were ever watchful, with a stern danger about them. If Emily had not been able to catch the occasional subtle change in their expressions when they swept the surrounding areas with their cold unblinking eyes, she would never have guessed that they were undoubtedly a terrible force to be up against in battle. It would only last an instant, and in a flash (particularly after the first time Emily saw the change and it had visibly frightened her) their warmth would rush back into their faces with smiles and teasing.

Emily quickly discovered the truth behind Estel's warning from the previous evening. The pair did tease her, but not with out mercy. It was never cruel or uncomfortable, they just had an enormous amount of fun at her expense. It all started when Emily asked which elf was who.

"What! Do you mean to tell me you have no idea who is who?" one of them exclaimed, with what looked to be an insulted and shocked expression on his face.

"No?" said Emily, suddenly feeling uncertain of how to react.

"How can you not tell?" asked the other in disbelief. "I should think it is really very obvious!"

"No, it's really not..."

"Oh, I have confidence that you can figure it out if you try!" said the one on her left, then he looked at his brother with a gleam in his eye, "I know, lets-"

"Make it a game!" finished the one on the right. "You guess who is who and we will reward you if you guess right! And if you guess wrong we shall cut your hair off."

Emily looked horrified jumping back way from them. "What?! NO! Why would you even suggest doing that?! Can't you just tell me? Because I really can't tell, and I have nothing to go on to even guess."

"We can give you hint, that is all and if you get it wrong...goodbye hair. Elladan is the one with a charming personality, bold and daring!-"

"-And Elrohir has stunning looks and is incredibly humble!"

Emily stopped backing away and just looked at them, bemused. "Seriously?" She looked from one to the other, taking in their gleeful expressions and trying to determine if they would really cut her hair if she was wrong.

"You won't really cut off my hair would you?" she asked with no little worry. They only grinned in response and took a threatening step forwards hands resting on the hilts of their daggers, which did nothing to reassure her.

Just then, Estel caught up as they stood there and came to Emily's rescue, "You could just look at Elladan's left eye which has a scare just beneath the eyebrow and Elrohir's nose which has a slightly larger bridge due to a young boy accidentally breaking it for him." The twins groaned in protested and Emily grinned as she studied their faces a bit more closely and found the identifying marks just as Estel said. Much to her amusement, each twin had chosen to described himself in their hint to her earlier.

"Thank-you Estel!" said Emily

"You are welcome," he repliedl, then a mischievous light flicker in his eyes, "That will be one lock of hair please."

Finally reasonably certain that they were 'being funny' now and had never been serious, Emily decided to play along and allowed a soft fake wail of "Nooo." while reaching up to grab her hair protectively while looking sad. Then she turned and keep quickly walking, shaking her head at the laughing behind her. She was going to have to keep an eye on those twins. Estel too for that matter. In fact, Emily was beginning to think maybe it would be wiser to walk with Legolas for safety.

The day wore on and on. Emily felt ready to drop, but was also rather proud and refused to let anyone know she was tired. They reached the edge of another small gathering of trees which was a welcome sight compared to all the rocks and turf she had been struggling through all day. Watching as the sun broke through the clouds on the horizon, getting lower in the sky by the minute, Emily gazed about admiring the way the sunbeams danced on the leaves of the trees and cast golden streams of light across the land. Her attention was distracted however by the glimmer of a small spiders web spanning between two branches in a bush.

"Are there any of those large spiders in this part of the world?" she asked suddenly. Elrohir glanced back at her as they began to walked in single file, then causally exchanged a sly look with his brother over the top of her head.

"Oh yes, there are many of them. Much bigger than you have ever seen." he said seriously. "They could drop out of the trees at any moment."

Emily's eyes went big and she hastily looked up into the leaves. Memory of the awful spider in her barn surfaced and she felt a little ill. "Really?" she said weakly, at the same time that Legolas called out something sternly to the twins in elvish.

"No," Elladan was grinning. "Those foul creatures are fought and killed daily in the forest of the Greenwood, or Mirkwood as some call it. And that is far over on the other side of the mountains, so never you fear. Besides, you have us to protect you!"

"Oh good." said Emily, deeply relived about the spiders, then her eyes narrowed as she said, "You'll protect me will you? And who protects me from you I might wonder..."

"That would be me." said a gentle voice close to her ear. She looked up quickly to see Legolas smirking beside her. "For now at least, until you are able to hold your own against them..."

"Ha! Do not trust him Emily. He is by far the most devious out of all of us!" exclaimed Elrohir.

"Indeed _penneth, _he will take you under his wing now, and be kind to you, but then strike when you least expect it. Beware this innocent looking elf." warned Elladan.

"What does _penneth _mean," asked Emily, ignoring the warnings for the time being. "You all keep calling me that..."

"It means 'little one'." answered Estel. "And do not try to make them stop, for they will not. It is often a term of endearment used by elves when they speak with one younger and smaller than themselves."

Emily shrugged and just said, "Ok." and keep walking.

At long last, they finally made camp as the sun was setting. Emily had never been so grateful to lay down on the hard ground with nothing but a blanket for bedding. Exhausted, settled hopefully into sleep, wishing her aching tired limps away and seeking blissful slumber. But poor Emily was not so fortunate, for although sleep came, it was troubled with dark dreams and it did not last as long as she had wanted. In the early morning, not far from dawn, she was awaken once more to the feeling of rain pouring down upon her.

**AN: So yea, that's that. Please do let me know what you think! Everyone loves reviews right!? Bring on the helpful feed back! And also any suggestions of things that you would really like to see happen or what you think might happen. I love know what you think and will try to incorporate any requests if possible! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3:**

**AN: Hello! Once again, my thanks for the lovely reviews! They make my day brighter. This chapter is fairly long, pretty fast passed and hopefully not disappointing :) I found it mildly amusing to write and am already working on the next chapter!**

It rained all day and Emily felt terribly dejected and sullen. She had woken up wet and walked all day wet despite the extra cloak that had been produced. Her shoes squished with each step, water dripped off the end of her nose, and she was soaked to the skin within the first few hours of waking. Truly, she was most dispirited. The others had taken pity on her and did their best to lift her spirits throughout the day, even stopping a little early, finding dry shelter among the larger flat rocks on the hills that formed small caves. She hadn't asked to since she didn't want to be a nuisance, however she was incredibly grateful when they did. She had been made to take off most of her wet things and then wrap up in a spare tunic and blanket. She never protested, and she hardly said a word which seemed to worry the others. The truth was she was just in such a foul mood she didn't want to speak lest she say something she regretted or burst into tears.

Emily sat alone in the cave watching the fire still feeling very chilled and miserable. Not even eating had helped her feel any less so. She was so tired, but yet dreaded laying down on the hard stone ground which did nothing to ease her aching body and falling into her awful dreams again. In the back of her mind, she vaguely wondered what the others were doing outside the shelter of the cave. She felt mildly suspicious they could be talking about her, or perhaps something they did not want her to hear, but then reminded herself that they could do that anytime without her ever knowing by simply speaking in their extraordinary language. She had noted that they keep conversing in elvish around her to a minimum, something that she appreciated since it made her feel much less self conscious to able to understand everything being said. Shoulders hunched and stiff she scarcely moved at all. As twins re-entered the cave in rather merry humors, it made her feel more cross. They had somehow managed to stay dry beneath _their_ cloaks, why couldn't she? Their conversation quieted slightly as they took in Emily's dejected form scowling at the ground. They knew she had not slept well the previous night, and now that she was so chilled they feared she would not sleep again. Exchanging a knowing look with each other, they began to make their way around the fire to where she was sitting with her back against the stone wall.

"You know Elladan," said Elrohir casually as he sat down on one side of Emily, "I can't remember the last time I had a sandwich..."

Emily didn't responded as Elladan dropped down beside her on the other side. "I know exactly what you mean. A lovely sandwich with a cold morsel in-between two warm bodies?"

There was a pause long enough for Emily to register what they were actually talking about and comprehend what they intended to do. Her eyes snapped into focus and she moved quickly to get up, but strong arms caught her middle and pulled her firmly back down so she was snugly trapped between the twins.

"No, no my dear Emily. You see, we need you for the sandwich." laughed Elrohir lightly.

"Yes, it just wouldn't be the same without you_ penneth_." added Elladan. Emily was forced to sit there tensely for a time, uncertain of what she should do or feel. The twins ignored her discomfort and kept cheerfully telling her about their home and what she could expect when she got there. Gradually the girl began to relax and found that she was actually much less miserable as the warmth of the elves bodies gradually chased away the damp chill in her bones. The more she relaxed, the sleepier she became and the voices lulled her towards sleep. Her eyes slid shut and her head dropped so it was resting against Elladan's chest. The elves stopped talking for a moment, watching and listening closely to their young friend's breathing, hoping she was finally asleep. She snapped awake when the fire popped loudly, then asked sleepily, "You aren't talking, why aren't you talking?"

"We didn't wish to wake you." they said. She blearily shifted a little into a more comfortable position, nestled deeper into their arms against their bodies and mumbled as her eyes closed once more, "I like hearing you...makes me feel safe..."

Elrohir smiled across her head at his brother. She did so reminded them of Estel when he was young. Sweet, innocent and honest at heart, despite her continued attempts to twist the truth in her effort to not be a burden to them.

"And what shall we talk about?" Elladan asked. Emily's brow pulled together and she frown while she thought.

"Something beautiful." she said. With that she was sent off into a peaceful slumber once more, listening to tales of the most beautiful pictures being painted with words...of far off places where starlight sang.

When Estel walked into the cave a while later, he couldn't help but grin at the scene before him. There were the lords of Imladris, eyes glazed in sleep with Emily fast asleep cuddled between them in their arms. He nodded to himself in approval. Although elves did not require as much sleep as humans, he was pleased to see his brothers sleeping now since he knew for a fact that they had been long over due their beauty rest.

The next day passed much like the previous ones. It rained again, and the wind picked up in the late afternoon. Emily felt in better spirits that day for the first bit however since her slumber had been sound and uninterrupted in the safe arms of her protectors, therefore she was well rested and ready to face the day. The only difference was that the twins began to act strangely shortly after there was a far off howl of what sounded like a wolf. The pair became almost impatient, continually looking towards the horizon and fingering their weapons. When Emily asked, she was told lightly that there was nothing to worry about. She did not completely believe them, but the girl did trust her guides and given that there was so much unspoken tension in the group, she choose not to push the issue.

That night, Emily woke suddenly, unsure of what it was that roused her. Her eyes fell on the figures standing a few meters away. Emily watched from where she lay curled in a ball as Estel and the twins engaged in what looked to be a heated argument in hushed, but angry tones. Now she knew for sure something was wrong. All day she felt it, the way they were all more alert and less merry. The twins had even seemed almost irritable, although they did not act so towards Emily and still made great efforts to keep her mood from dropping to low. Elladan was making a frustrated gesture towards the woods at that moment, looking incredibly terrifying as a cold fury Emily had never witnessed on his kind face twisted it dangerously. Estel looked equally frustrated and briefly made a motion towards the fire...towards her she suddenly realised. _Why are they arguing? Did I do something wrong? What is going on. _The twins looked briefly towards her, and Emily couldn't help but feel herself shrink a little at their still furious expressions now focused on her. Their faces softened a little the moment they saw she was awake however, and gave a tiny smile of reassurance to her before the three of them moved off further away disappearing into the darkness. Sitting up and feeling an eerie foreboding settling in her mind, Emily looked around immediately for Legolas. She wanted to know what was happening. Now.

Being unable to see the blond elf and no longer hearing the others, Emily began to feel a spark of panic rise in her chest. Just as she was about to opened her mouth and call for him, he dropped lightly down from the branches of the tree above causing her to flinch violently.

"Peace _penneth. _I am right here, all is well." he said, settling himself down gracefully beside the glowing embers of the small fire. She notice he was holding his bow in hand, as if he was expecting trouble, but then she supposed that it made sense if he was the watch for the night.

"Legolas, what's going on? Why are they arguing? Did I do something?" asked Emily anxiously. The elf smiled fondly at her and shook his head.

"No, you are not the cause of this. It is nothing for you to worry over right now, go back to sleep."

Folding her arms stubbornly in front of her chest, the girl said, "I'm not going to sleep until you tell me what's going on."

"Indeed? You are sure about that?" asked the elf raising his eyebrows, then moved his position so that he was sitting close beside her, watched with mildly amused eyes.

"Of course," snorted Emily, "It's not like you can make me go to sleep, so if you want me to, you have to tell me what's happening."

Mild amusement turned into a small grin as Legolas listened to her words. "Are you certain of that?"

"What? Yes, you can't make me sleep if I don't want to, not unless you drugged me or something, and there is no way you would do that..." Emily faltered as she watched his smile broaden. "You won't drug me would you Legolas?"

"No, do not worry, I would have no need to." he said with confidence as he put a comforting arm around Emily's shoulders, drawing her to himself in a brotherly fashion. Emily however was suddenly very suspicious of the elf and tensed up a little, despite knowing she was perfectly safe from any real harm.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that seeing as I am an elf and therefore possess a certain amount of 'magic' as some would say, it would be very easy to send you off into a deep slumber right now before you even realised it was happening. So do not make such treats about not sleeping just to get information."

Emily did not like the sound of that. In fact it made her a little scared of the elf. She had not realised that such things were possible, and the thought of it being so simple as he made it sound made her incredibly uncomfortable. She decided it was something she did not want to think about and redirected the subject back to her original question.

"Please, I really want to know what's happening! Why are Elladan and Elrohir so angry?"

Legolas sighed a little and gave Emily a meaningful look before saying, "I do not think it wise to tell you before you are to sleep, especially when you have been having trouble dreams already."

"All the more reason for me not to go back to sleep right now, because if you don't tell me, my mind will invent things." she replied smartly. He did not reply so she looked up to find his face was unreadable and serious, as he was weighing out what to do. "Very well," he said finally, "Do you remember the wolf howl you asked about earlier today? It was not a normal wolf. It was a warg, a foul steed used by orcs, which means there are also likely orcs. We fear there are some not far from us, hence why the fire is smaller and build differently so as avoid to much smoke."

"Are orcs those awful things that Elladan said attacked their mother?"

"Yes. And for that they have a furious hatred for them. They wish to go hunt the pack down right now, however Estel believes it to be wiser for us to stay together-" he was interrupted when the familiar voice of one of the twins floated quietly through the dark to them. The elves spoke briefly in their own tongue and then there was silence again. Emily thought the twins must have won the argument and meant to leave them.

"Are they leaving us?" she asked, uneasy about the idea and voice clearly showing it.

The voice of the twin (who had apparently not left yet) carried out of the darkness to her. "No Emily, we not leaving, nor will we be far off. We are merely ensuring the immediate area is safe." he said gently, not sounding at all like the fuming elf she had seen earlier.

Then the other twin joined in from another side of the ring of night. "So go to sleep, or you shall be impossible to wake in the morning."

Emily felt a wave of relief wash over her, and she unconsciously allowed herself to relax and curl slightly into Legolas's side feeling content and safe. They would not let any harm come to her, she knew that for certain. However what she was less certain about was...

"Legolas...were you just trying to scare me before, or can you really...can you really make someone fall asleep against their will?"

She felt the elf shift as he moved to study her expression. "Yes I am able to do such things. It is not an uncommon ability that elves posses..." he said softly.

"But you wouldn't right?" Emily asked quickly, feeling more and more unnerved by the possibilities of such things.

"I would not without good reason, I can promise you that...have I frightened you Emily?" he said quietly, concern evident in his voice. If the girl had looked then, she would have seen that the elf was frowning with regret over having brought up the subject since it seemed to scare his companion more than the tell of orcs had. Emily squirmed internally, knowing full well that she was afraid of this new knowledge, but unwilling to admit it.

"No," she mumbled, and then practically feeling disapproval Legolas was giving her for being dishonest, she sighed and blurted out, "Ok fine, yes it scares me. I just don't like the idea of being put to sleep is all, especially without wanting it...makes me feel...kinda vulnerable and helpless. I'm sorry, I don't mean- It's not that I am scared of you, just that...that..."

"Hush _penneth,_ I know what you mean and it is alright."

But she heard the faint sound of sadness in his voice as he spoke. Emily immediately felt badly and worried she had upset her friend with her lack of trust. Instinctively she put one arm out around his middle and gave him a tight hug. The arm around her shoulders squeezed her back gently. They sat there comfortably for in silence for a while, Emily not wanting to leave the elf's warmth and return to sleeping on the hard ground. She was getting tired of being cold all the time and continually stealing the others body heat (not that anyone truly minded, Emily re-discovered she was actually very cuddly by nature and the frequent contact gave her a sense of security now that she knew them all better). _Only a few more days until we find civilization again and I can sleep in a real bed...I hope...I hope we don't get delayed by anything...oh...or attacked...yea that.._

"I'm so dumb." she stated matter-of-factly, "Leave it to me to get scared and fixate on something I don't even need to fear, and then ignore the real danger lurking in the world around me. Way-to-go stereotypical human for being afraid just because you don't understand something and its foreign to you."

Legolas shook his head at her outburst and then snorted back a laugh.

"Go to sleep Emily."

"But my brain is awake now! I can't stop thinking!"

"You are tempting fate now...I do not wish to threaten you once more with sleep enchantment..." the elf warned. Emily ducked her head down against his chest and was swiftly silent and still. Feeling childish, she asked shyly, "I'll sleep, but can I stay here with you?"

Chuckling he said, "Still to cold are you?"

"Yes. I'm always cold."

"Well we cannot have that can we." and with that Legolas tucked the blanket more securely around Emily and affectionately ruffled her messy hair. Peacefully, she drifted off to the sound of the elf humming softly into the night.

As predicated, Emily was difficult to wake the next morning, grumbling and complaining for the first time. She had been fairly cooperative the previous days, but her less positive character traits were slowly making themselves known as the days went on and her patience wore thin. Her humor was terrible, and internally she felt badly for being a grump, but externally, she made no effort to be less cross. Sullen and quiet she trudged on. Her companions let her be ill humored and made few attempts to cheer her once they realized she stubbornly wished to remain in a bad mood. About mid morning when it began to rain, Emily nearly burst into tears of frustration. Thankfully, it was only a brief sprinkling of water, and did not soak Emily through. She dried quickly once more in the wind that swept the clouds away and the sun shone fully for the first time since she arrived. But despite this which should have improved her mood, she remained in a despondent state. Sulking turned into depression once more, and Emily became to tired to be angry anymore. As they reached the banks of a great river, Bruinen it was called, she decided it was time to apologize for her behavior.

"I'm sorry for being such a grump." she sighed a loud as they followed the river towards were there was supposed to be a crossing(still a day away on foot she was told), "I should be better than this."

Estel dropped an arm around her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "The wilderness brings out our lesser sides, do not be troubled by it. We do not fault you for it."

"Oh yes, Estel knows all about lesser sides! You may be more sullen and cross than usual Emily, but at least you have not punched anyone yet!" said Elladan nonchalantly. Estel shot him a dark look with only made the elf gleefully raise his eyebrows at the man.

"Is Estel prone to such things?" asked Emily with surprise feeling her mood lifting ever so slightly at their forgiveness of her. Estel was generally the more reserved of the group, keeping his hand in the teasing to a minimum, behaving as a gentle giant, and calming taking everything in stride, not at all the person she would expect to lose it enough to hit someone.

"It was many years ago, I was not much older than you and with these infuriating elves who seemed to remind me at every opportunity how much older they were than me and how much more experienced they were." said Estel dryly. "Let us just say it was a sensitive spot for me at the time and I did not behave the way I should have, and I paid for it. It was a hard lesson, but a good one."

"How much older are they? I mean, you mentioned they were immortal, so I'm guessing they are pretty old?" inquired Emily curiously. Before the twins could seize the chance to make the question into a big game, Estel answer vaguely for them. "The twins are well over two thousand years old, and Legolas is over one thousand."

Emily glanced wide eyed back at the elves who were grinning and then said bluntly, "They sure don't act like!"

"What would you prefer _penneth_, that we act all lordly, ancient, mysterious and stern all the time?" laughed Elrohir. "Nay, there are some elves who are like that. Terribly dull they are. Just aching to be pranked..."

"Live is to long to spend it serious and reserved!" added Legolas.

"But you are more reserved," said Emily with confusion, "Aren't you?"

Legolas smirked. "Am I?"

"Be careful...do not underestimate him Emily..." warned Elladan in a sing song voice. Just then a sound caught all four males attention and in an instant they had moved to form a circle around Emily with expressions grim and dangerous. They stood looking in the direction of what ever it was they heard ready to spring into action. Then, just as quickly, they relaxed and their faces broke into relieved smiles as a group of what looked to be elvish warriors on horseback appeared over the hill and rode gracefully towards them.

"Lord Glorfindel! It is indeed a pleasant surprise to see your patrol out this far!" cried Estel to the towering golden hair elf at the head of the company. Emily recognized him instantly and felt a small shiver go down her spine at the memory of being surrounded the elves back in her living room. _Yup, I was so dumb to think I could fight them with a frying pan..._

"What brings you out this far?" asked Elladan quickly as the company reached them, eyes flashing dangerously, "The orc pack?"

"Yes, we slaughtered them this afternoon west of here, then picked up your tail and followed you." the elf lord replied, getting down off his gorgeous dappled grey stallion, embracing each twin in turn and ruffling Estel's hair as though he were a child. Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, forgotten and self-conscious around so many new people, Emily found herself slowly backing away from the group, allowing the twins, Estel and Legolas to greet the warriors in the patrol without her.

She watched the reunions with fascination, observing each new elf and admiring how lovely they were, particularly the two females in the group. As she observed, a tall silver blond haired elf still sitting upon his horse caught her attention. He was watching Legolas closely with a blank cool expression and waiting for him to notice his presence. Emily found he was a rather intimidating creature to behold. Unlike the other elves who seemed to always be laughing and finding something delightful, this elf was more like when Elladan and Elrohir were thinking about orcs...cold and stony. Abruptly, the elf turned his head swiftly to Emily and she found herself trapped in an icy blue stare that burned her to the core, capturing her every move and thought in an iron grip. It was such an unexpected experience that she took a quick step backwards and unfortunately found the edge of the bank. Making no sound but a sharp gasp, her foot slipped and for the second time in a week, Emily found herself skidding and somersaulting down a steep hill...towards the rapidly approaching river. _Awww crap, this is so not my day! _she thought feebly. Someone shouted her name just before she hit the river gracelessly.

Frigid water enveloped her, soaking instantly into every fibre of her cloths weighing her down. Fighting to break the foaming surface, but unable to because the cloak was dragging her back down, Emily forced herself to calm as she quickly undid the clasp for the cloak and then kicked off her shoes, losing her socks in the process. Now free to swim easily, she popped up and took a deep breath of air, lungs throbbing. Shaking the water from her face so she could see, Emily found the shore was not as far as she feared and could make out figures of the elves racing down the slope towards the river. Someone called her name now and then, but Emily was to distracted by watching the river currents to answer. She was caught in a faster one, but if she could break out there was a slower one sweeping in closer to the shore. With a few strong kicks and no small amount of struggle with her arms, she managed it and from there easily made it to the bank. She reached it about the same time Elladan and Elrohir leaped down in front of her off a rocky ledge.

"Emily! Thank Eru! My dear _penneth_, are you hurt?!" Elrohir exclaimed as they helped her out of the water. Teeth chattering, Emily shook her head no, then she just stood there and took in her appearance, not saying a word, jaw clenched.

"What is it? What is wrong?" Elladan asked with no small concern when she would not move any further.

Emily's eyes filled with tears, then quietly said, "But I was finally dry...I quit...I'm so sick of being cold and wet and I'm totally embarrassed."

The twins were filled with sympathy and relief, each wrapping her in a warm embrace.

"Do not be to humiliated. No one will think ill of you, if anything they will be impressed by how quickly you got yourself out of the river. But it does seem unfair doesn't it that you should be wet once more." mused Elladan as they climbed up the slope towards were the rest of the company had gathered waiting. Despite the elf's words, Emily had never felt so humiliated than she did in that moment, knowing her first official introduction to these grand people was one in which she caused a scene by falling into the river. And now she was all teary eyed.

"Would it help if we jumped into the water too? I might even be able to manage a dramatic yell before falling in? Or we could throw Estel in for fun?" asked Elrohir in an attempt to cheer her. It worked.

"That's ok, I've already got you both all wet and Estel wouldn't be happy if you did that, he has a history of hitting you after all." she laughed, wiping her tears hastily with the back of her hand, which was beginning to shake as the shivering began to take a strong hold over her body.

"Have you not had your fill of being wet this week that you had to go throw yourself into the river _penneth_!" said Legolas playfully as the three reached the top of the bank. "If you wanted to go for a swim you need only have asked, I would gladly have tossed you in myself and saved you the trip down."

Emily glared half heartedly at him and was about to throw a cheeky insult at him, but mercifully stopped herself in time, biting her tongue and shaking her head at the ground. Estel was there a moment later, lifting her chin so she would look him in the eye as he asked if she was injured.

"I hon-estly c-can't feelll a thing- right now cause I'm so cold, but I promise to t-tell you if I no-notice anything lat-t-ter?" she said through chattering teeth, and trembling lips. He studied her closely for a moment before relenting and turning his attention to her bare feet.

"Where are your shoes?"

Emily turned and pointed vaguely down the river.

"That way I think, along with Elrohir's cloak..." she replied sadly, managing not to chatter her teeth that time, but still shivering violently.

"Well at least we know you have taken great care of the girl these past few days," laughed Glorfindel as he watched the group. "You four are positively hovering like mother hens!"

"Of course, and why shouldn't we," demanded Elladan with mock indignation. Both twins clapped a hand on each of Emily's shaking shoulders and drew her tightly to themselves. "We found her after all, so now she's ours!"

"Technically Estel found me." said Emily dryly, causing the twins to shush her making most of the elves around them laugh outright.

"It wasn't difficult, you practically ran into my arms." commented Estel smiling, "And as I recall, you had just finished tumbling down a hill side very much like today..."

"Indeed! Is this to become a habit of yours _penneth_?" Legolas asked, joining with the teasing. Emily threw her hands up in very mild exasperation. "People, seriously! We established this days ago. Yes, I'm clumsy, clueless, gullible and I'm noisy like a dwarf..apparently." then laughing she said, "Get over it!"

"A dwarf!" said Glorfindel with a small frown, "Why would you insult yourself in such a way?"

"The twins said it first." she replied, receiving another shush. The two female elves gasped in mock shock, looking reproachfully at the twins.

"And you call yourselves noble lords." one of them chided.

"Yet you see fit to compare this sweet child to a clomping dwarf! Shame on you." said the other. "I think perhaps we should rescue this dear girl from their rudeness and get her dried off." With that, the ladies swept Emily away kindly, putting her instantly at ease with their giggling at the protests of the twins as they walked away. With their help, Emily was able to change into a pair of spare leggings and a tunic that one of the ladies supplied her. They lamented over not having shoes for her still blistered feet, but Emily assured them she would be fine.

"Really my dear, I am impressed that you have been able to put up with their childish antics!" laughed the taller of the two elves as they blocked her from view of the rest of the company so she could change in comfort.

"Well, they are always referring to me as a child, which to all of you I guess I really must be(more so than I would be at home), so maybe that is why I can endure them." They giggle pleasantly at that, which Emily counted as a win since she liked to hear them chortle. Walking back to the group Emily felt herself falter somewhat when she spotted the silver-blond haired elf once more. Quickly avoiding even looking in his general direction, she thanked the lady warriors and scurried back beside Estel, subconsciously looking for safety from the presence of the icy elf. The human absentmindedly ruffled her wet hair and momentarily rubbed the back of her neck comfortingly.

"Now then Emily, since you scampered off to play in the river before we had a change for introductions, I think it best to do them now!" said Elrohir. "First off, you have already meet Glorfindel...you remember Emily do you not Lord Glorfindel?"

"Indeed, I could not easily forget this young one." the golden haired elf replied with kind smile, "As I remember, that first time we meet you were wielding a frying pan, ready to take on three fully grown elves armed with swords and bows..."

This comment caused great enjoyment for the company and even the icy elf raised his eyebrows in what Emily assumed to be surprise. Emily went a little red and fidgeted with her fingers nervously. She didn't overly like being the centre of attention.

"Well...ya know..." she managed to say lamely. "To be fair, I was expecting simple burglars, not elves, so yea...frying pan."

"And did you kill the spider with a fry pan as well?" the cold elf drawled, calling Legolas's attention to him for the first time.

"Ada!" Legolas exclaimed, both confused and pleased. The elf nodded coolly in acknowledgement, but swiftly returned his attention to Emily, who was undoubtedly expected to answer the question.

"No," she said nervously, not overly fond of the memory or this elf, "I...I stabbed it with a pitch fork a couple of times..."

The elf did not reply, nor did he give any indication of what he thought about this information. He just stared at her with piercing eyes.

"King Thranduil, it is a surprise to see you here!" said Elrohir, not seeming to be fazed in the slightest by the stern demeanour of the king.

"I was about to say the same thing! What are you doing here?" demanded Legolas as he moved towards Thranduil who frowned at the impudence of the other elf and responded lazily in elvish.

_"Is that anyway to greet your father?" he asked, "Are you not at least a little pleased to seem me after so many years my son?_

_"Forgive me, I am pleased to see you, I am merely confused as to why you are here my king."_

_"I was meeting with Elrond, but a group of humans arrived stricken with illness and his skills have been require. I grew bored and was invited to accompany the patrol. Seeing as I seldom come this far over the mountains, I accepted out of curiosity."_

As they conversed, Emily was introduced to the rest of the patrol, not that she remembered any names save Thranduil and Glorfindel's. It was a swift and overwhelming few minutes.

It was quickly decided that Emily would ride with Glorfindel and the others would double up with other members of the patrol so they could return to Imladris with more haste. Emily could not say she was terribly unenthusiastic to be ridding the beautiful grey stallion, although she did feel shy of the elven lord who would be riding with her.

"Are you certian you were not injured when you fell Emily?" Estel asked quietly once more as they neared stallion.

"I might have done something to my side again, but its not unbearable. It just feels the way it did two days ago, which is annoying, but managable." she said truthfully.

"You will tell me if it gets worse or if there is anything else." said Estel in his serious healer voice as he lifted her effortlessly astride the tall horse. She was then joined by Glorfindel who mounted fluidly behind her and wrapped a gentle arm around her middle, holding the reigns with only one hand. Emily watched as everyone else also mounted their horses, noting that Legolas sprang lightly up behind Thranduil. It occurred to her that Legolas was related in some way to the king, in fact she was almost certain that Legolas had called him 'ada' which she understood to mean 'father' or 'daddy'. It blew her mind to think that her kind, gentle, mischievous friend could be the son of one so cold. _Maybe he takes after his mum?_

Once everyone was set, they took off at an easy canter down the river side. Emily could hardly contain her admiration for the sheer power the stallion beneath her displayed. He was positively the most stunning horse she had meet. She couldn't help but wonder how fast the creature could run. She seldom let her own horses run full out since they had a bad habit of getting too silly and throwing her, but this horse...she was sure it would be magic! As if sensing her thoughts, the horse gave a toss of his head and attempted to leap forwards into a faster pace, only to be smoothly checked by his master.

" It would seem that Mithrilon likes you well enough to show off for you." Glorfindel laughed.

"He's so wonderful!" Emily said with delight. She felt Glorfindel chuckle once more before he said half seriously, "Shh, he is frightfully full of himself. I do not want him getting any more so...but tell me, how are your horses?"

"How did you-"

"Estel told us a great deal about you when we got him back. He was taken rather with your beasts." was the calm interruption. Emily kicked herself for not thinking of that. Of course half the people she meet would know who she was and have heard of her before.

"The ponies have quieted over the past two years which is good. I was getting tired of being thrown so much. My mare on the other hand has become ill tempered and is irritating both to ride and to handle on the ground. I guess if I'm honest, she kinda scares me, which doesn't help anything." realizing how much she was talking, Emily quickly added, "Sorry, I don't mean to be rambling!"

"Peace, there is not apology needed. And what causes your mare to be ill tempered do you think?" asked Glorfindel with interest.

"Well, other than the fact that she's female? I don't really know. I think she just likes to have her own way and is accustomed to bossing the other two around in the field, so she tries it with me all the time too. She really isn't that bad I guess. Just really lazy and doesn't like to be made to work, which is an advantage since she gives up fighting sooner."

"Indeed. Mare's can tend to have a bad attitude about things. She is still young yes?"

"Old enough to know better, but young enough to pretend she doesn't." said Emily matter-of-factly.

"You should get along just fine with her then Emily!" called Elrohir jokingly from a little behind them.

"It is rude to eavesdrop Lord Elrohir." responded Glorfindel with no small about of humour in his voice as he chided the elf lord like one would a child. Emily peeked back around Glorfindel at Elrohir and smirked saucily at him, causing the elf to narrow his eyes in playful warning, clearly saying, 'You do not want to start something you cannot win _penneth._"

They rode for what seemed like ages to Emily, leaving the day behind and not stopping as they continued far into the night. At one point Emily dozed off long enough to have another nightmare about the first day she arrived in this strange land. Every time she had the dream, her attackers got closer, and she got slower, unable to run from them. This time they had caught her, leering and laughing the whole time as she struggled against them-

She woke shaking and sleepily struggling against the firm arms that held her cradled against a strong chest. It took a moment to comprehend the soothing voice that told her she was safe and not trapped in the dream.

The horses were walking now, plodding along through the dark, and Emily could see that most of the riders where walking beside their steeds, giving the animals a break. Emily shyly asked Glorfindel if she could also walk for a bit, wanting desperately to shake the feeling of the dream with movement. He nodded in understanding and stopped Mithrilon so she could slip down to the ground. Her legs nearly buckled under her, weak and strained from riding for so long. Legolas appeared out of nowhere and held her steady until she could use them once more. He walked silently beside her for a time before saying softly, "Your dreams have gotten worse. You have not woken so violently before and it has never taken so long to wake you. They are plaguing you Emily. It may help to talk about them..."

Emily bit her lower lip and studied the barely visible ground, watching were she was going so she would fall over. The ground was hard and rocky under her tender feet, but she moved along stubbornly, letting the pain wake her. This was not the first time one of her friends had suggested talking about the dreams in the past few days. But Emily was determined it was nothing and had brushed the idea aside lightheartedly. She knew they were right however. She had purposely been avoiding talking or thinking about what almost happened that first day. It made her feel weak and vulnerable, knowing she had been assaulted and barely escaped. _So many people I know have had worse happen to them...this shouldn't matter. It doesn't matter! I'm not letting this bother me, so there isn't any need to think or talk about it._ Nevertheless deep down, Emily knew that she was deeply affected by the events of that day, and that it would be wise to speak to someone about it. Now was not the time though.

"I know I should." she whispered to him, "But I don't really want to talk about it right...not with so many sharp eared elves around and knowing I'll probably burst into tears."

"Are you really so embarrassed at showing such emotions?" the elf asked sounding somewhat perplexed.

"I don't know...I guess so. I don't like being weak or making a scene." Emily mumbled.

"It is not weakness to show honest emotion," Legolas countered, "If anything, it takes a strong individual to allow for others to see them when they are vulnerable. But I will respect your wishes if you do not wish to speak of it now."

"Thank-..ouch!" she said as her toes were stubbed on the edge of a sharp stone. Legolas winced with sympathy then carefully took her arm and guided her on to a more even part of the path.

"We are not far away now, in fact we already crossed the Bruinen while you slept. You will be able to see Imladris around the next bend."

"Good!" Emily sighed, then grew very quiet as she considered the fact that there would be a great many more elves in Imladris and she would likely be separated from the only friends she had in this world upon arrival. _After all, if Legolas is a prince, Elladan and Elrohir lords, I'm sure they have duty's to attend to and will not have time to spend with me...Estel might not abandon me though! But there will be so many more people! Besides, if I'm really just like a child to everyone, who really wants me around 24/7. I wouldn't be surprised if they were all relieved to be rid of me...my siblings would be...they always got tired of me...I would be tired of me... _

These cheerless thoughts caused Emily to feel apprehensive and lonely in advance.

"You are troubled _penneth_?" Legolas, the ever observant had noticed her change in mood.

"Yes...well no, kinda- I don't like large groups of people, and there will be so many new people...and then what? What do I do tomorrow, or the next?" her worries tumbled out in no particular order. "And then you and the twins won't be...I mean, I don't know. It's fine. I'm fine."

"You have an unfortunate habit of being untruthful Emily...you are clearly not 'fine'." sighed Legolas in disappointment.

"Yes I am." contradicted Emily with a slow grin, "It really all just depends on your definition of 'fine'."

"And what is your definition of fine?" he asked. Emily gave a nervous laugh and said, "F.I.N.E. Freaky, insecure, neurotic and emotional...according to the Italian Job..."

Legolas groaned and shock his head at her, not even bothering to ask what the Italian Job was. Just then they rounded the last bend and Emily got her first glimpse of Imladris. It shone brightly, like white Christmas lights in the winter, warm and elegant. The buildings that she could make out in the dark curved and arched like they had grown that way, as if they were alive. There were many open balconies and lit pathways that she could see looped down around what she assumed to be gardens. In the distance she could hear the loud sound of a water fall and as they came closer to the sound, she saw by the light of the moon the ground before them dropped abruptly down creating a cliff that met the dancing river. At a closer look, Emily saw that there was only one way across the river, by way of a rather narrow looking stone bridge, with no railing of sorts on either side.

Emily swallowed hard and watched with anxiety as the first couple of people walked calmly with their horses across the bridge. It appeared to be wider than she thought, however, Emily could not move from where she was standing frozen.

"Emily? ...Emily?" Estel had appeared on her other side. "What is it?"

"Nothing." she said squeaked out too quickly. "I'm just not to fond of heights is all..."

"We will not let you fall. Come, it is not far." assured Legolas patiently as he and Estel each took one of her hands and gently urged her forwards. Somehow, Emily forced her feet to move, clinging to the hands of her guides more tightly than she meant to. There had been a time when she was not so afraid of falling from a great height...but that was before she experienced falling from a cliff into water. It had been one of the more terrifying incidents of her life, and one which she never wanted to have again. _Granted that was at camp and I voluntarily jumped off that stupid cliff...whatever possessed me to do that I don't know, but I'm never doing it again! _By the time Emily reached the other side safely, painfully aware she had slowed everyone else behind her down considerably, her hands shook from adrenaline and she was certain every elf could hear her heart hammering in her chest. Not for that last time was Emily humiliated by her lack of being able to measure up to her own expectations for herself.

Everything went swiftly from there. Legolas was swept away into groups of elves, greeting them all with merry laughter. Estel was requested to help with a young human child in the healing wards that was not cooperating due to being afraid of the elves, so he also quickly left Emily, promising to check on her later. Elladan and Elrohir were swarmed by greetings and warm embraces, and Emily was left feeling exactly what she had feared would happen had just occurred. She stood alone watching, as a wave of deep loneliness and abandonment washed over her. Then the next thing she knew, a female elf lady was drawing her away, nodding to instructions that one of the twins called to her over the heads of the company. She was taken away from all sense of security into the great house to be shown the room she would be staying in.

**AN: a quick note of what I believe the name Mithrilon means: True-silver. Sounded like a cool name for a horse...so yea.. Reviews? Yes? After all, Christmas is coming folks, where's the harm in spreading the cheer by reviewing? :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hello again, so first off I would like to address the concerns expressed in one of my reviews just so we can clear that up. I have been made aware that there are several grammatical editing errors throughout my work, and that on a few occasions I called Emily Jenny instead. Originally the story began with the name being Jenny, but I changed it along the way and obviously missed a few places. That should be fixed soon.  
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** In regards to the magic of the elves... if you read the books, one might notice that Tolkien is actually somewhat vague about what kinds of abilities Elves have, but on more than one occasion he hints that they are magical, although he only expands on this fully with a few characters. In the Hobbit books it is mentioned that the elves of Mirkwood are able to put the dwarves into an enchanted sleep(when they capture them), although it is not explained how. I've merely expanded on that in my story.** **As for the discrepancies about Mirkwood vs. the Greenwood, the reason I threw both in is because it was mostly only outsiders who began to call the forest Mirkwood at first, not the elves, so I decided on putting both names in. Lastly, Glorfindels horse is indeed Asfaloth in the Fellowship of the Ring, however at the time of my story, it is at least 50 years before the fellowship and I doubted that Asfoloth would be alive then, therefore different horse. **

**Now, I get that there are likely those of you out there who have more extensive knowledge about middle-earth than I and are therefore passionate about things being canon. However, this is a fanfiction, and the fact that I have placed a girl from our world in Middle-Earth, (during a time when Aragon should have been in Rohan/Gondor (I think...), new magic, extra characters that never existed, etc)...this has already essentially thrown the canon out the window. So, as much as I do appreciate and deeply understand where you are all coming from, it's still just a fic, a 'What if' kind of story. That being said, I am trying to keep it as close to canon as possible, so it you feel the need to point something out, go for it! I'll most likely either have a reason for not correcting myself, or I'll say thank you and fix it. :) I sincerely hope that no one will take offense to what I have just written. It is by no means an attack, I just wanted to make sure people understand where I'm coming from :) **

**Anyway, the beginning of this chapter is a little bit heavy. At one point in my life I would have said that the character of Emily is weak, useless, and terribly angsty...but I hope to show the rest of you (throughout this story) the strength I have come to understand from a soul like hers. (also, yes Emily is in her final year of high school, but was born late in the year, therefore, still sixteen.) **

Emily sobbed soundlessly into the soft pillow. The elven lady, Lirel, had left her moments before after ensuring Emily had everything she needed. She was washed and clean now, with combed hair, and brushed teeth(by means of the elven equivalent of toothpaste and brush). She dressed in clean clothing to sleep in, discovered that she could also have clean undergarments that where not dissimilar to her own and that there was even a bathroom with (amazingly enough) running water. She had been fed, well cared for and was now laying in a wonderfully soft bed with nothing to worry about and no reason to complain. But all the same, Emily was crying her heart out.

She was thankful to be alone. It had taken everything she had to stop any tears from forming in her eyes the whole time Lirel kindly cared for her. But now free to do as she pleased, Emily let loose the water works.

She was scared, very scared and feeling so alone in this big world that was not her own. Now that the feeling of security that Estel, the twins, and Legolas gave her was gone, she realized how very broken and defenceless she felt inside. It was not unlike the feeling she got in her gut when her brothers moved away from home for the first time. That bitter sense of mourning the loss of someone you wanted dearly to stay with you and be apart of your everyday forever is gone. It was the sour taste of childhood ending and being forced to be hard and strong just to survived the harsh realities of life. And it hurt. It hurt having remembered what it was like to be cherished and loved by people who would tease and carry on, enjoying you for you, only to have them leave you alone when you wanted them most. She was afraid of what would happen to her, she was afraid of what all these new elves would think of her, she was terrified of making a mistake in this grand house, afraid she would not go home and worried about her family missing her. And most of all she was angry. Furious with herself for acting so ridiculous and behaving like a weakling. Angry that she was crying because she was left alone. _It shouldn't be that big a deal! It's not like you didn't see this coming Emily, come on! Whatever, they are busy, its not a big deal. Maybe you'll see them tomorrow at some point! Being alone isn't the end of the world!_

These thoughts did nothing to stop her from crying. She let herself sob quietly until there was a knock at the door. Instantly Emily stopped breathing and listened. _Its probably Lirel. Maybe she will leave if she thinks I'm asleep._ The door opened and Emily quickly shut her eyes and kept her face turned away from the door, thankful that the blankets were helping to block the view of her tear stained face. There was a long silence and then she felt a weight on either side of her bed as two people sat down.

"You are a terrible actor Emily. Come, look at us and stop trying to convince us you are asleep."

Slowly Emily turned her head and opened her eyes to see the twins perched on the bed, faces serious and filled with compassion. Emily couldn't stop the tears that slid down her face when she saw them.

"Did you think we had abandoned you _penneth_?" Elladan asked softly, reaching out a hand to cup her cheek and wipe the tears away. Emily only nodded mutely and then burst into fresh tears. She was gently gathered up like the child she felt into Elladan's arms. "Did you not hear us earlier today?" he asked, "We found you, so now you are ours to care for. Besides, we have grown very fond of you, do not think you can escape from us that easily!"

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, "I'm acting like such a baby. I should be better than this, not crying like an idiot!"

"You often say such things Emily, why?" asked Elrohir slowly.

"Because its true, I'm sixteen not six. I shouldn't be acting like this." she said with frustration, then continued to cry. Elladan let out a deep sigh, hugging the sobbing girl closer to himself and said, "Emily Harris, you have been unbelievably hard on yourself since the moment I saw you cowering before us in the woods. Have you stopped to consider that maybe you have every right to be crying now?"

"No." Emily replied thickly through her tears. "Why?"

"Because you do." answered Elladan softly.

"No I don't! I'm just being ridiculous!" she moaned quietly.

Elrohir gave an almost pained exasperated noise before saying, "Emily! You have been torn way from everything normal and familiar into a world that is not your own. You have been attacked, battered up on two occasions now, travelled on foot for several days soaking wet with very little sleep, introduced to more strangers than I know you are comfortable with, tumbled into a river and are now in yet another strange place that you have no familiarity with! Everything that has happened to you these past few days has pushed you far beyond anything I expect you have encountered in your life. There has been no end to the uncertainty, confusion and fear that has shadowed your mind since you arrived. It is perfectly understandable that you finally broke when you believed we meant to abandon you! If you knew someone in the exact situation as you, would you not tell them they had every right to cry at least a little?"

"I guess so...when you put it like that. But it's such a bother for everyone...me crying I mean. And messy..." she said, tears still flowing. Elrohir handed her a handkerchief.

"Believe it or not _penneth,_ I for one can say I'm relieved that you are finally crying openly. We have been concerned that you had not had a healthy melt down before now. The four of us have been waiting expectantly for days now, but you are just so stubborn _penneth_...so determined to be brave and therefore bottling everything up inside." said Elladan affectionately running his fingers through her hair. Emily quieted considerably as she calmed, listening to the beat of the elf's heart and thinking about what they had said.

The twins stayed with her until they were satisfied she was in a peaceful state of mind before leaving her. They informed her that she had actually be placed down the hall from themselves and Estel. They also assured her that if she needed anything, even if it was just the need for company, at least one of them would be in their room throughout the night. This comforted Emily immensely knowing that the they would be essentially just on the other side of the wall and Estel across the hall from her and she gratefully thanked the heavens for the blessings of the day before slipping off.

* * *

><p>Emily bounced out of bed, wincing slightly at her sore muscles, but feeling more alive and free than she had in days, cheerfulness bubbling up from deep inside her for no reason at all. The river was gurgling merrily, the sun was high in the sky, and she hadn't had a single dream that night! She vaguely recalled waking when Estel slipped in briefly the night before, checking on her has he had promised, but other than that she had slept deeply almost immediately after the twins left her. Looking towards the dresser, she noticed that there was a beautiful set of clothing set out for her. It was not a dress thankfully, but an elegant tunic that came down almost to her knees and a lovely pair of leggings. She put them one with enthusiasm, and then wondered what to do next. <em>I could go try and find Elladan or Elrohir I guess...wow I'm really hungry. Oh, what to do I wonder...venture out, or stay were its safe?<em> Emily debated between the two for a while, and then curiosity of this new place got the better of her. She bounded barefoot towards the door, swung it opened and then slipped out almost cautiously. She had hardly set foot over the threshold before a figure loomed over her and pair of strong hands caught her beneath her arms, lifting her up and spinning her suddenly through the air. Emily squealed with surprise and panicked for an instant before she realised it was Elladan who had captured her, grinning up at her impishly.

"It's about time you got up!" he said merrily as he set her down gently on the ground once more. "You've slept through breakfast and we feared you would also sleep through lunch, therefore I was sent to fetch you. I wanted to wake you sooner, but Ada would not let me."

"I'm glad! I greatly enjoyed being able to wake on my own and not to the ridiculous wake up song you and Elrohir sing." laughed Emily. Elladan pretended to be offended, then studied her for a moment with a small smile playing at his mouth., "I am also glad. You have not yet been so chipper since we began this adventure of ours." he said warmly.

Emily grinned and then practically pranced along beside the elf lord as he lead her to where food would be served. Her cheerful demeanour wavered however when they got closer to the beautiful veranda that was evidently meant for several people to dine. In fact, there were several people already there. New people, and a few familiar faces, one being Elrohir and the other Thranduil. Emily could not honestly say she was looking forward to being in his company once more, neither could she say that she felt confident anymore. Something about the stern elven king set her on edge, making her feel small and insignificant. Elladan must have felt her hesitation, because he ruffled her hair playfully causing her to grimace at him for messing it up when it had finally been neat for a change. It successfully distracted her from her worry however, and not long after they were joined by Legolas and Estel.

Legolas decided to greet Emily in a similar fashion to Elladan that morning, sneaking up from behind to scare her and getting a wonderful reaction out of her. She let out a stifled shriek and jumped quickly behind Elladan, swiftly turning bright red with embarrassment when she saw had drawn everyone's attention with her outburst. She gave the laughing blond elf a scathing look as she gave a small huff, causing snickering from the twins.

It seemed the best course of action was to just ignore the whole humiliating situation and continue on as if nothing happened, so Emily turned pleasantly to Estel, greeting him with a sweet smile and purposely not paying any attention to Legolas or Elladan. Estel followed her lead for behaving 'properly' thankfully, despite the amused gleam in his eye. Elladan and Elrohir were clearly about to begin their light hearted teasing when a dark hair, rather lordly looking elf appeared behind the group. He look similar to the twins, with kind grey eyes and a serious, yet gentle face.

"Emily, this is our ada, Lord Elrond. Ada, may we present to you Emily Harris..." said Elladan seriously.

"Who likes to be called Emily...just Emily, no m'lady or other formal title..." added Elrohir with dancing eyes.

"It is a pleasure to finally met you Emily. I have greatly wished to thank you in person for protecting Estel in your world. Words cannot express my gratitude." he said, then with a small knowing smile he gently took her hand before she had the chance to fumble through a curtsy or something of that ilk. He smoothly drew her arm through his own and then proceeded to guide her towards the table. "I do hope my son's have not been pestering you too much, my young friend. They have an unfortunate habit of making a nuisance of themselves."

"Well, I do have older siblings, so I'm not unfamiliar with being teased. They always told me that it builds character." said Emily lightly, oddly feeling instantly at ease with Elrond and feeling less afraid of everyone around her with him beside her. There was a certain presence about him that spoke peace and comfort into her troubled heart.

"Indeed," said Elrond raising his eyebrows and casting an amused look at his sons, "I seem to recall Elladan and Elrohir telling all the younger elfings and Estel the same thing from time to time..." he lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Coincidence perhaps?"

Emily shock her head and said mock seriously, "I think not."

A larger smile graced the elf lord's face and Emily couldn't help but let out a soft giggle over the delightful silliness of the exchange. She decided that she greatly like Lord Elrond and was more than happy to sit next time him during lunch and answer all his questions about her world. By the end of the meal, every elf within ear shot who had been listening had a reasonable understanding of what electricity was, that there were strange wagons called automobiles which travelled at incredible speed, that her world was very large with many 'countries' and that Emily was not magical as Estel had insisted when he was a child. She also briefly told of her parents, showing obvious love and admiration for her mother as she spoke and pride for her father.

After the pleasant meal, she walked with Lord Elrond and Estel in the gardens. Elrond seemed to be greatly puzzled by her appearance in their land since she had not come through the portal in Mirkwood, which lead him to believe that great powers were at work, making matters more complicated for sending her home.

"But can I ever go home?" Emily asked, confused and anxious. Elrond, still walking with her arm in his and with one hand clasped around her hand, paused to study her thoughtfully.

"Yes. I believe that you will return home, but I sense it will be when Eru deems it to be time...you are clearly here for some purpose...to attempt to send you back now would be pointless." the elf lord said kindly, knowing the words would likely frighten the girl.

"But what could I possibly be meant to do here!?"

"That remains to be seen." replied Elrond gently, "Do not be afraid Emily. Trust, hope and all will be well in the end. Of this I am certain."

Emily stood head bowed and letting everything sink in. This was not what she had anticipated would happen. She had assumed that she would be sent home without to much trouble. But now, she was to stay...for an undetermined amount of time.

"I know that this is very difficult for you to understand Emily...but try to believe us when we say you will be taken care of...you are not alone here." Estel said tenderly as he gently brushed her cheek with the back of his knuckles in a comforting manner. She looked up at him, fighting back tears and managed a weak smile. They were interrupted when an anxiously looking elf appeared and requested Lord Elrond's presence to discuss details over some feast preparations for that evening. Estel took his father place at Emily's side and the two continued down the garden path.

"There's a feast tonight? What kind of feast?" asked Emily curiously.

"It's in honour of multiple celebrations within the community. A betrothal, several promotions and various other reasons which have all been combined into one...I have come to learn that there is not always a definitive reason for elves to throw a party..." relied Estel.

"So there will be lots of people I'm guessing?" said Emily with small sigh. Estel smiled at this and squeezed her shoulders comfortingly.

"Yes, but do not worry so. I think you may find you will enjoy yourself. There will be singing later in the evening...if you can say awake for it..." Estel said, knowing that Emily had a weakness for music, particularly after hearing the twins and Legolas sing one evening during the trip to Imladris. Predictably, Emily's attitude brightened at the prospect of hearing more beautiful singing, and she became internally determined to do whatever it took to survive the evening until she could hear it.

The next few hour's were spent showing Emily around the great house and grounds. It was more spectacular that she ever imagined from what she had observed the night before. By far the highlights of her tour was the library, the music hall, that gardens and the stables. Especially the stables. The instant she set foot in the lovely paddock she felt at home with the sweet horsy smell, the hay and the aroma of leather. The stable manager was a wonderfully kind elf named Caldir with whom Emily also felt at ease with almost right away. He introduced her to mostly all of the horses in the various grazing fields of the valley, including a few rather plucky ponies that clearly had enough attitude to keep even an elf on their toes. Emily enjoyed it immensely and fell in love with the entire barn. She would have stayed there all day and gone riding with Caldir when he offered to let her help him exercise a few of the beasts, but Estel would not hear of it. He sternly forbade her from riding until he deemed her fully healed from her injuries. Emily couldn't help but sulk childishly over that, causing Estel to be highly entertained by her behaviour and lightly assure her it would only be for a few days, after which she could ride to her hearts content. So, Emily was persuaded to leave the barn and reluctantly return to the main house to prepare for the feast, which was fast approaching.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, music of the highest degree and laughter filled the air as the hall full of dancing elves swirled and surged with utter grace and perfection. Emily watched from the threshold of the open doors that lead to the terrace with awe and longing. She wished desperately she could look like the beautiful figures inside. It was not to say that she felt un beautiful at the particular moment. She was, in fact, wearing the most stunning blue dress she had ever seen with her hair done up in lovely curls and braids. Never before had Emily felt so elegant and lovely, but all the same, even though she looked the part she only felt more self conscious over doing something wrong. The majority of the evening went very well. Estel and Legolas had kept her calm with there reassuring presence, and then the dancing began. Her protector's were swept off to join in the fun, and Emily took the opportunity to escape into a less populated area so she could watch without drawing attention to herself and being invited to join the dance by some well meaning elf. That idea terrified her to not end. The last thing she wanted to do was trip all over the floor and stumble about, not knowing the first thing about the dance that was going on. So there she stood, hiding from everyone.<p>

"There you are!"

Emily nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the voice. Elladan and Elrohir stood behind her with arms crossed, grinning at her broadly. "Why are you hiding out here? Come and dance with us!" They moved towards her, each reaching out to take an arm in theirs, meaning to escort her back into the great hall. Emily squeaked and promptly backed away. "No, it's ok. I'm really fine out here!"

"Nonsense! Come on, you look lovely, it would be a pity not to show you off at least a little!" insisted Elladan, frowning at her a bit.

"I can't dance." said Emily. She immediately regretted what she said as she watched the twins exchange a sly look with each other and then look back at her.

"Then we will just have to teach you!"

"Um...no." said Emily, taking another step away and looking worried.

"And why not! Do you not trust us?" asked Elrohir, pretending to be hurt. Emily shook her head. "No, not really...well, not always. But that's not why."

"Why then?" asked Elladan. The twins parted ways from each other and quietly moved to make it more difficult for the girl to try to escape without being caught by one of them. Emily looked from one to the other, and then down at the beautiful dress she was wearing.

"Because I'll fall in this dress and ruin it! I'm so clumsy, I've had to concentrate so hard to keep from tripping already, and that's even with getting rid of the shoes...I'm barefoot now...don't tell Lirel, she insisted I wear them. So yea, that's why."

"Not a good enough reason I'm afraid _penneth._" Laughing, Elrohir made another move towards her causing Emily to dart backwards, only to be spun round and gracefully swept into Elladan's arms. Emily struggled in vain to get free, but Elladan only laughed merrily and informed her she would have to dance at least one dance with him before he would let her go.

"But everyone will watch and I have not idea what I'm doing! Please can I just not!" she begged. Elladan smiled. "Oh come now Emily, I may be scheming and teasing, but I'm not about to cause you any great discomfort, not really anyway." he said kindly, "We shall have our lesson out here, just as I always intended. Now do try to stop shaking like a leaf and pay attention."

The elf patiently taught his pupil, encouraging her and firmly insisting that she stop attempting to escape every time she made a mistake. Emily fumbled through the steps, desperately wishing for it to be over, and wishing she could just be as graceful as her sister was. She was certain she would trip and fall at any moment, and on more than on occasion she nearly stepped on Elladan's toes. Luckily the elf was quick to move them from her reach before she could do so. It amazed her that he was not growing annoyed with her, for it seemed to be taking forever to learn even the first few steps to the dance. Elladan was not the least bit irritated however, in fact both he and his brother were immensely enjoying themselves. Emily stumbled slightly once more as she stepped with the wrong foot and the wrong time once more, causing her to draw a deep frustrated breathed.

"Calm, calm _penneth_, you are only having so much trouble because you believe that you are incapable of doing it. I, however, know otherwise. Relax, listen to the music. You have a good ear, use it." said Elladan soothingly.

"I'm so bad at this..." lamented Emily with no little irritation. They stopped for a moment as Emily tried to collect herself and in that time Elladan drew her into a warm hug and kissed the top of her head before whisperings in her ear, "You are your own worst critic Emily, let it go, stop worrying what people might be thinking and have some fun."

Relaxing the tension through her shoulders, Emily watched the dancing that was happening inside. It did look like fun. She just wanted to do it as beautifully as they did. _But I suppose they all had to start new at some point like me...maybe it could be fun._

"Ok. I'll try again now." she whispered back as a new dance song started. She could see Elladan grinning with approval in the bright star light of the sky. Ignoring her feelings of inferiority, Emily forced herself to loosen up and properly pay attention to what she was being taught. Gradually, without even realizing it at first, she was dancing without any mistakes. The moment it dawned on her that Elladan had guided her from one end of the terrace to the other without them having to stop, Emily's eye's widened for a moment, and then her face broke into a huge joyous smile. The twins were equally as pleased, laughing and teasing her for doubting them in the first place.

With the basic steps down pat, Elladan decided it was time to throw in some spins. Feeling more confident, Emily was much quicker to pick up the new lesson and before she knew it, Elrohir and Elladan where taking turns twirling her around. It was very tiring however, and eventually, Emily stumbled while practicing another spin and would have ended up in a graceless heap if not for the reflexes of her teachers. The moment she slipped, she knew they would catch her. Exhausted and out of breath, she allowed herself to be supported by Elrohir as she giggled hysterically with her eyes closed.

Taking deeper breaths, she finally opened her eyes once more and realized that they had been being watched by someone standing just inside the doorway to the great hall. She tensed up at the sight of the person. It was Thranduil. He was gazing at the trio with an almost kind, soft but pained far off expression on his face. Emily couldn't help but feel as though his attention was mostly on her. Such a sad look it was, that her compassionate heart unexpectedly ached for him and wanted to make that pain go away. But then abruptly the look became distorted with a mask of cold anger and he turned on his heel and swept away leaving Emily feeling very confused and worried that it was her fault some how.

Merry voices called for the twins to come and participate in some bizarre competition that Emily did not even try to understand the point of.

"Will you not join us Emily?" asked Elrohir, dropping an arm around her shoulders as he began to walk towards the door.

"Maybe for a little while."

And she did for sometime, laughing at the outrageous game being played that involved two live chickens, a bottle of wine, and darts all while blindfolded. From what Emily could tell, the purpose of the game was to catch the other person's chicken (while blindfolded), run to the other end of the room through the sea of people, get three bull-eye in a row with the darts and then run back with the chicken still under their arm. It was utterly ridiculous and new rules seemed to be made up at every turn causing the game to be one big ball of chaos were no one was really sure who was winning. Eventually, about the point she suspected that Elladan and Elrohir were going to try and get her to play the next round, Emily discretely slipped back out into the night and found a secluded place not far from the festivities to be alone for a little while with her own thoughts.

She sat with knees pulled to her chest, on a padded seat outside, head back and gazing at the brilliant starlight. She could hear the sounds of the feast and music still, but she had managed to escape just far enough to feel comfortable and free from the large gathering of people. Smiling as she watched a shooting star streak across the sky, Emily felt relatively content. But not entirely. The uncertainty around her not being returned home right away troubled her. She didn't know what they all expected to happen, or what she was supposed to accomplish. But Elrond had told her to have faith and trust that everything would be well. _I suppose I don't really have any other choice but to stay...I miss home though...mum, dad, Joel, Simon, Clara...everyone. What if I can't ever go home and I never see them again? I wonder what they are doing now. _

"May I join you?" It was Legolas, and Emily was more than happy to nod in affirmation. There was an odd bond she felt with this elf, a deep feeling of friendship and understanding, like that between siblings. He always put her at ease, and at the moment she couldn't help but be grateful for his presence.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked as he settled comfortably near her, looking up at the night sky as well. "You looked deep in thought."

"Home." she said with a sad smile. "I can't help but miss everyone. My parents, my siblings. Especially my siblings. But I always miss them. I mean, it's not like I see them a lot anymore since my brothers are married and moved out, then my sister is away finishing school and will be getting married in the spring. They're all grown up, and I'm still there. No matter how hard I try, I always get left behind somehow..."

Legolas nodded, "Indeed, I understand the difficulties of being the youngest. Always wanting to catch up somehow, but never quiet getting there...not for many years anyway."

Emily glanced at him with interest, pleased that he knew exactly what she was talking about. Many people just brushed such musings from her aside. "How much are you the youngest by? And how many siblings?" she asked.

"Oh, several hundred years. Three brothers, and I had an older sister. And what of you?"

Emily grinned, "Well, there's about twelve years between my oldest brother Simon and I, ten for Joel, and seven for Clara."

"And do they tease you without mercy?" the elf asked with a knowing smile. Emily groaned.

"They make it their life's work to annoy me."

"Who's this now?" Elladan and Elrohir appeared, along with Thranduil, much to Emily's dismay. She very nervous of the stern elf at the moment, especially after seeing him sweep off so angrily earlier after he had been watching Elladan teach her to dance on the terrace. He seemed his usual stoic self now however, looking to be generally disinterested in everything but the sky.

"Emily was just telling me about her family, and we were lamenting at how tedious it can be to be the youngest child." Legolas informed them as the too seated themselves on the surrounding cushions. Elrohir snorted and rolled his dramatically.

"Oh yes. The youngest just has it sooooo hard." he said sarcastically. Elladan nodded, folding his arms and regarding the two sitting across from them.

"I am certain that it must be terrible getting away with practically everything, or not having to do as many chores, or getting to bend the rules because your parents have become more lenient as the years have passed..." he said with equal amounts of mockery.

Emily made a face at them before saying, "You only say that because you were never the youngest, and it's obvious because if you were the youngest you would know that you can't get away with ANYTHING! Someone's always there to catch you, you can never do anything new because it's all been done before!"

"Or being tormented into doing things for your siblings that they would never actually do themselves and then getting in trouble for them. Not to mention getting told to do something by five different people all in the same day..." added Legolas.

"Ugh! I know right," said Emily with passion, turning to Legolas, "And then the tell you to drop the attitude if you tell them that someone already told you to do it and you haven't forgotten!"

"Or what about being told outrageous things that aren't true but you believe them anyway for a time until you grow wiser?" asked Legolas as the pair got more and more into their exchange, taking no notice of the snickering twins and completely missing the small smile playing at Thranduils' mouth.

"Oh my goodness! _Yes!_ I never believe anything my siblings tell me anymore without checking it with mum first!" exclaimed Emily, "My sister once had me convinced that the people who owned our house before us tossed their dead bodies down the cistern, and that during a full moon they would try and get out!"

"My brother told me that a balrog was going to come trough my closet at night while I slept if I didn't do everything he told me!" fired back Legolas, eyes narrowing at the memory. "I had nightmares for months."

"Is that what caused those episodes? said Thranduil suddenly in his usual deep lofty voice, "I never could get you to tell me what it was you feared would come into your room at night. I suppose it was Faervel who told you that was it?"

"Thanguron actually" said Legolas with a grin, causing Thranduil to raise his eyebrows, "Which is why I believed him since he never usually did things like that. He is also the one who told me that if I drank your wine I would be able to run faster. I am certain that was another thing you never truly found out about the truth for." A ghost of a smile nearly surfaced as Thranduil straightened himself and looked thoughtful, pondering the new information his son was sharing with him. Elladan and Elrohir made no efforts to contain their mirth.

"My sister once told me that moustaches were over grown nose hairs...my brother nearly fell over when I asked him about it." said Emily rather wryly. Legolas laughed outright.

"Your sister seems to have a rather creative mischievous streak in her." chuckled Elladan.

"Yes she does! And oddly enough she gets that from my mum...not that anyone would believe that! People assume it comes from dad since mum is always so reserved. Dad can be rather silly, its embarrassing!" said Emily, smirking.

"Are your grandparents still living?" Thranduil asked suddenly, sounding bored, but Emily could see his eyes flash in the starlight with curious fire. The question was abrupt.

"No. My dad's adopted father died last year," seeing Elladan's sympathetic expression Emily quickly shock her head, "It wasn't actually that terrible. I'm afraid my grandfather was a bit of a nasty man, and we kids were kept from having much to do with him for a good reason. My dad is nothing like him, and I'm proud of him for that. As for my mum's side of the family, she doesn't really talk much about it or my grandparents. I think they might be dead. She only mentions it in passing, like when she says that Simon has inherited her fathers quick temper, or that Clara is as lovely as her mother was. Or when she taught me how to crack an egg on my elbow and said her mother had taught her to do it that way. I think it makes her very sad to talk to much about it, so I've never really asked."

There was a long silence as Thranduil seemed to consider the words and then inclined his head as way of letting Emily know she had told him enough.

"If you would be so kind," broke in Elrohir smiling, "you haven't spoken very often about your siblings yet. Tell us more about them!"

"Oh! Well...lets see." Emily thought for a moment, trying to ignore the anxiety pricking in her stomach as she notice that Thranduil was watching her closely with a scrutinizing expression. "As I was telling Legolas, they are a fair bit older than me. Simon is married with a son, Joel and his wife live further away from us, and Clara is living further away as well at school. Um...Simon is a bit eccentric and moody, but he's a good brother, despite his volatile personality. Joel is a pest. He likes to bother everyone, but he _really_ can't take it if you bug him back. In fact he gets down right nasty. He's a bit arrogant and full of himself since he's actually really smart. I do love spending time with him though, when he's around. Clara is very beautiful and way more graceful than I am, just like my mum. They both have gorgeous golden-brown hair, tall slender figures, blue eyes, and delicate features..."

Emily trailed off for a moment, lost for a moment in her evident envy for her sister whom she believed was so much more attractive than herself. In truth, although Emily did not have the stereo typical traits of beauty, she was far from unattractive and looked more like her mother than she realized. It took but a minute for her to realize herself and remember that she had an audience. The girl went a little red over her words and quickly continued. "She also has a bit of a temper sometimes (especially if I break something of hers, which doesn't happen much anymore). We didn't use to get along very well because she thought I was annoying, and I thought she was boring. Now we get in trouble because we're silly at night when we're supposed to be sleeping and are make a racket instead...that's the very abridged version of my family..."

There was a natural and surprisingly comfortable silence. Emily got a far off look in her eye as she watched the shimmering reflection of the sky in the gently flowing waters just below them. Elrohir broke the silence by stating in a mock serious tone, "I still maintain that the youngest child has it easy." Legolas groaned in protest and Thranduil rolled his eyes at the topic being brought up again when it was so clearly something that could be debated to the ends of the earth.

"I think maybe it depends on how close in age the siblings are." said Emily quietly, not looking up from where she was leaning on the railing looking down. "Because if everyone is too much older, then the youngest always feels left behind...everyone else leaves, but you're still there. Alone."


	6. Chapter 6

The late night singing of the elves was every bit enchanting as Emily imagined it would be. It spiraled and soared high into the air, painting captivating pictures with the beautiful melodies. She stayed awake as long as she possibly could, but against her will she kept nodding off and eventually fell completely asleep.

Estel carried her to her room, tucked her in tenderly and then slipped away to his own room feeling ready to be done with celebrating for the evening. He had only just began to find sleep when he came fully awake once more at the sounds of Emily having a nightmare. He sprang quickly into action, speeding across the hall and into the room. The girl was struggling violently against the blankets which she had somehow gotten wrapped around herself and was begging to be let go.

Swiftly, Estel crossed the distance to her and gently placed a hand on her forehead, calling her softly and willing her to wake. She came awake with a cry and scrambled away from him, eyes half asleep but still wide with terror. He raised his hands palms out in front of him as a sign of peace calling her name again, hoping to calm her. She blinked, breathing hard and then a look of relief washed over her face as she finally recognized him.

"Am I really awake?" she asked fearfully, watching him with an odd wariness in her eyes. Estel nodded reassuringly, promising that she was awake. Then he held out his hand to her.

"Perhaps we should sit beneath the stars for a while until the terrors have lost their hold on you?" he suggested gently. Emily willingly agreed and took his hand tightly in her own, clinging to it like it was her life line. They moved out onto the large balcony and sat on the padded bench that was there. Heart still pounding, Emily sat as close to Estel as she could, and was more than happy to curl under his arm when he carefully slipped it around her shoulders. Although the evening was not to terribly cool and she had a blanket, Emily shivered a little from the cold of the sweat on her body.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly, not being able to help the worry she felt over being a needy nuisance.

"There is nothing to forgive _penneth,_" replied Estel easily. "I regret not being able to wake you sooner."

Emily remained silent for a long time. All was quiet and peaceful.

"Legolas said I should talk to someone about them...and about the day I arrived...I haven't really voluntarily thought to much about it...but I know I need to." she said wincing as her voice carried into the night and echoed in the air around her despite her effort to speak quietly. She hesitated a moment feeling small and then asked shyly, "Can I tell you?"

Estel nodded seriously and tightened his grip slightly around her shoulders.

"I would be honoured and more than willing to listen, Emily. Please, never think otherwise."

Other than an brief nod, the girl made no further noise for several moments. Then, taking a deep breath, she began.

"I had been out running, you know...just to clear my head because I had been thinking about a lot of different things and I thought it might help. Anyway, I was headed back to the house when a strange sound surrounded me and then a powerful force pulled me off my feet. I landed in a field, beside a path. At first I had thought I was alone there, but then down the road a bit I saw a group of men." Emily paused, lost in the memory. "I knew, I knew by the way then looked at me what they planned to do."

She shuddered and then snuggled closer to Estel as he drew her tighter to himself comfortingly. There was a tiny sound from the room behind them of someone entering, but Emily didn't notice it. Estel knew without even looking that it was the twins. "It was my worst fear coming true. I have a friend who's been through an assault worse than mine, and I saw what it did to her, what it still does to her. I've feared it ever since then. That day was like a blur of terror for me, I wanted so badly for it to be a bad dream, for me to wake at home safe and sound. But it was real. I ran from them. One of them caught up with me and knocked me to the ground. I fought him, somehow grabbed a rock in my struggle and hit him in the face with it, then I ran again into the trees. All I can remember is the fear and the pain in my lungs from running. Then I fell and you found me."

"Yes, and it was a while before you trusted me..." said Estel gently which compelled his young friend to admit more of what troubled her memories about that day.

"I was terrified of you, of everything." she whispered, staring at the ground, "When...when you came out of the trees, Estel I thought I was going to die, horribly. I've never felt so helpless and vulnerable in my life. I don't even like to think about it because when I do, my chest gets tight and then I feel like its happening all over again."

"And your dreams?" Estel asked carefully. Emily shuddered again and glanced up at him with fear haunting her eyes.

"They are almost worse than the real thing. In my dreams, I'm always running from them. At first I would just have a short dream...sometimes the spider from the barn showed up, and then I would wake up because I knew it was a dream...but now they are so hard to wake from. The brutes always caught me, or I can't move to run...I can still hear their words of what they had planned to do, and then my mind sees it about to happen...but the worst was tonight's dream." she went quiet again, and then said in a broke voice barely above a whisper. "Estel...the men...they turned into you, and the twins and Legolas. I dreamt that I had woken and that everything was ok, until one of you would become something terrible, and then the dream would begin again, and again." she broke off and then buried her face in his shirt, shoulders shaking a little. Estel closed his eyes and took a long breath, feeling heavy-hearted at what the frightened young girl under his protection told him.

It was not the worst story he had heard, nor was it the most harmless. His did not for a moment discount what she was going through. It would be a difficult road to healing for her mentally and emotionally, however Estel was hopeful it would be a speedier one than he had originally feared.

"I cannot promise that this will pass quickly, or that your dreams will cease...but I can promise that you are safe here, and that all who dwell here are eager to do their up most to bring you peace. But it will be a long road Emily...I know this from experience." he looked down at her with compassion and empathy as she nodded her head against him.

"I know. It's so lame." she said tiredly, "The dreams about the spider in the barn took a long time to get to the point were I wasn't afraid of them anymore. But that was different, because I killed it in real life and therefore knew I was capable of doing again. They stopped after a while. Isn't that the way it goes?"

"Sometimes, yes." agreed Estel. He causally glanced over his shoulder at the room behind, confirming his suspicions that the twins had been eavesdropping the whole time. The three exchanged a look of remorse and pain for their young friend. It troubled the twins greatly since to them she was so very young, so naive about the world and they wanted to protect her from every evil. Emily's hushed voice brought Estel's attention back to her.

"I don't want to have nightmares about all of you...and I'm afraid of not waking up and then causing a big scene because I'm...I just don't want to be an annoying nuisance. I wish I was braver, not so weak."

Before Estel could reply, the twins made their soundless entrance, each perching on the edge of balcony in front of the bench. Emily sensed the movement and looked up a little guiltily at them.

"Hi." she said in a small voice, slightly nervous for a moment as she saw their serious expressions. She suspected then that they had been there the whole time judging by how they where behaving towards her, and she really didn't mind to much that they had also heard her story. In fact, it was a bit of a relief that she wouldn't have to tell it again.

"Hello _penneth_." they said kindly in unison, making her twitch a smile. "We are sorry to interrupt, but we came to fetch Estel. The leader of the human's who were here for healing wishes to speak with him. We have also been requested to accompany them back to their village in the morning for their protection. There has been rumour of orc's in the area near their homes, they fear for their children."

Estel nodded in understanding and the gently removed his arm from Emily as he rose to leave. The girl instantly grew worried. _I don't want to be left alone!_

"Estel?" she asked, grabbing his arm to stay him with big eyes. He looked back at her with empathy and then cupped her face in his hand.

"I hate to leave you right now, but I must go and tend to this. Elladan and Elrohir will stay with you until I return. You have been so brave Emily. And you are by no means weak." he kissed the top of her head tenderly and then guessing the other thing that was worrying her he continued. "I need you to be brave for a little longer. I will be going with them tomorrow, but it will not be for long. The village is only a two day journey away, and the return trip will be faster. Four days maximum."

"We'll be back before you know it Emily." assured Elladan as he and Elrohir took Estel's place beside her on the bench, comfortably wedging her between them. "And you won't be alone. Legolas is staying behind to keep you out of trouble."

Emily brightened a little with the knowledge that Legolas would be staying. But all the same, it did make her feel uneasy knowing the others would be gone. And she was not entirely a peace yet about her dreams. However, as was typical of her behaviours, she remained silent about it and drew comfort from the presence of the twins while they were still there. She did eventually fall back into an uneasy slumber, waking now and then to see the figures of her guardians on the balcony standing in the starlight singing softly in the night.

* * *

><p>With Estel and the twins departed early the next morning, Emily couldn't help but feel a deep sense of lonesomeness settle over her. Legolas had joined her at breakfast and did his best to make her feel better about things, but it wasn't until he mentioned that Estel had given him permission to take her riding that she broke truly broke out of her sad state. She could hardly contain herself for the rest of the meal and received amused looks from most of the elves around her at her sparkling eyes and impatient fidgeting.<p>

At long last, after what seemed like forever, Legolas was finally ready to leave the table with her. Emily rather suspected the elf went purposely slower just to annoy her, judging by the impish gleam in his eye every time he slowly took a bite of food.

The pair went down to the stables and were greeted by Caldir who had somehow known what the plan was for the morning and already had the beasts they would need in stalls ready to go. Emily was pleased that the elf had not tacked the animals up for them since she wanted to do it herself.

" Emily, I think you may remember Malrin," said Caldir as he lead the girl over to the lovely palomino, "You mentioned your love of ponies, and since there are few of us who are small enough to ride them now, I hoped perhaps you would not mind helping to give them some work, starting here with this gentle mare."

Emily was grinning from ear to ear as she slid into the stall with the medium sized pony and began to gently rub her forelock affectionately. "I would love to ride her! She's so very pretty! And such a wonderful temperament too!" she cooed over the pony who nickered happily in response to her voice. Glancing back to Caldir and taking the halter he offered her so she could lead the pony out to be brushed, Emily asked "May I ride her without a saddle? I'm comfortable without one...in fact I rarely ride with one these days, and when I do it throw's me off a little bit...which annoys my teacher. But its warmer and I get cold easily..."

Caldir raised his eyebrows in surprise and then smiled at Legolas. "Well, it would seem you have a kindred spirit here Prince Legolas."

Emily looked at her friend questioningly. Nodding in agreement with Caldir Legolas said, "Indeed. I also prefer to ride without a saddle...or bridle for the matter."

After properly preparing their mounts, the pair were set to leave. Legolas sprang effortlessly onto the back of a black horse named Rivornor, and Emily scrambled less delicately onto Malrin's warm back and then glared half-heartedly as Legolas chuckled over her display. Then, after a quick consultation over how the elves rode their horses compared to how Emily was used to (she was happy to find it was not all that different a style), they set off up a hilly trail into the trees.

It was the perfect day to ride. Not to hot, but not so cold that one felt frozen in place on the animals back. There was a fresh, nipping breeze that teased the world around them sending falling leaves scattering about.

When they reached the top of the hill, Emily saw a wide, flat field of grass that was clearly used for training exercises. It was in here that Legolas proposed that they practice a few different things with their noble beasts.

Starting with the basics and working up from there, Emily learned a number of different riding techniques she had never known before through the instruction of Legolas. There was great fun involved with it. Her favourites were when he taught her how to mount her pony in a more fluid motion, the little race they had, and when they tried a ride by pick up from the ground. Legolas had no troubles with it, but Emily couldn't seem to get herself coordinated enough to swing up behind him (even though that was all she had to do). The elf did most of the work to get her off the ground and up high enough to swing her leg over the back of Rivornor, but Emily always somehow ended up messing it up. First only half on, then clear over horse onto the ground in a heap...or when she managed to swing on the wrong way around and ended up sitting backwards giggling foolishly. Legolas nearly fell off laughing over that one.

Finally, after trying and trying, they managed to do it and Emily was exhausted but happy. By the time the headed back the barn, it past lunch time and Legolas had suggested sneaking into the kitchens and swiping some food. Emily was more than content to agree. As they headed back Legolas brought up another suggestion of how they could pass the time over the next few days.

"Emily, there was another set of instructions left by Estel before he left." he said.

"What kind of instructions?" she asked, feeling intrigued and light hearted.

"He suggested that you be taught how to defend yourself. Glorfindel volunteered to be your instructor, and you are fortunate for that. He is one of the best instructors you could ask for."

Emily was silent as she considered the idea. She liked Glorfindel. He was kind and seemed easy to please, yet she still found it easy to be nervous about accidentally vexing him in some way. Secretly she would rather Legolas be her teacher, however she trusted him in what he said about Glorfindel being the best teacher.

"Do you think its a good idea?" she asked naively, for it was obvious that in a dangerous world such as Middle Earth, she should have some kind of instruction.

Legolas smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes. I strongly recommend it. Your instruction will be self defence to begin with. It is the most important instruction right now for you."

"Ok." she agreed simply. "When?"

"Tomorrow afternoon." said Legolas. "He trains with the guard in the mornings and then after lunch I will be taking over for him to brush up on their skills with long bows and combat from up in trees. That is something we woodelves are more adept at and therefore Glorfindel likes to take advantage of my presence to remind his troops that there is more than one approach to fighting."

"Ok." Emily said again. Then she fidgeted as though she had something to ask but was debating over saying it. As they came to the end of the path and were in sight of the stable she finally said, "I've always thought it would be neat to learn archery."

Legolas simply grinned, knowing what she wanted but determined to make her ask for herself.

"Really?" he said causally, then prompted her to ask to be taught by saying, "I know there are many who wouldn't mind you asking to be taught by them...did you have anyone in mind?"

Emily bit her lips and looked away, knowing exactly what the elf was doing. She sighed and then said shyly, "Would you teach me?"

She received a warm smile of approval.

"It would be my pleasure."

The rest of the day passed with surprising speed and no end of fun. Once finished caring for their horses, they had slipped into the kitchens through a back door and Legolas unashamedly stole an entire plate of elvish sandwiches, two bottles of apple juice and a jar of cookies. Emily had waited just around the corner while he 'negotiated' for their lunch. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the prince of Mirkwood came tearing back out of the kitchen with his arms full of food urging her to run with him. A cook closely followed after him, half laughing and half angrily shouting after him. They escaped and enjoyed the profits of Legolas's effort. Apparently it was an ongoing war of hilarity between the head cook of Imladris and Legolas to see how often he could get away with some kind of baking while he was in the kitchens.

Afternoon turned to evening and eventually it was getting to be time for bed. Emily wandered into the vast library where she had been told Legolas would be after she was done bathing and readying herself for bed. Spotting him in a corner reading, Emily padded to the sofa across from him and sat done.

"Legolas?"

He looked up from the book he was reading to see Emily staring at the ground with a trouble look. "Yes _penneth_?"

"I'm afraid to go to sleep." she looked up with round eyes that pleaded for some kind of solution. "Someone's always been close by to wake me...but now the twins and Estel are gone...there isn't anyone close by to hear me if I need help...I mean, no one I know. What if I make an awful racket and bother whoever is above me? I've worried about that before..."

Legolas smiled softly at her and then set the book down, moving to sit beside her.

"Did you know that the room you are staying in is the one I usually stay in?" he asked, to which Emily shook her head negative. "Well, I am very fond of the view from that room, and so it turns out, I am the person above you...well and my father...it is a double room."

Emily grew anxious when he mentioned Thranduil, which did failed to escape Legolas's notice.

"Do not be so worried by my father Emily," he said gently, "He is kind at heart, though he rarely shows it...and he was once very warm and gentle, but heart ach has made him colder over the years, so it is hard to see what he is truly like at his center. I myself lost sight of that for may years until a series of events reminded me...and him...of who he truly was."

"I don't think he likes me very much...and he kinda scares me..." she confided timidly.

Legolas laughed then and replied, "You would have no doubts if he did dislike you. That is not something he hides well. It may be hard to believe, but I think in his own way he is almost fond of you. As for being frightened by him, that is not uncommon. Even the bravest elf in my kingdom quakes before my father."

Emily furrowed her brow in concentration. "I be he never has to fight anyone, all he'd have to do is look at them and they would flee."

The merry laugh of Legolas rang out once more before he sobered and said, "It is not far from the truth. But come, you are tired and should rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day. If you wish, I will promise to watch over you and wake you at the first sign of distress, that way you have nothing to fear."

"Would you mind terribly?" Emily asked gratefully, yet still feeling the need to make sure.

"Not in the least." the elf assured her patiently.

He did as he promised, staying after she had fallen asleep. Gazing at the sky Legolas was deep in thought when the mute creak of the door drew his attention back to reality. Straightening, he sensed the presence of his father even before he turned around.

"Legolas, Glorfindel wishes to speak with you about this young ones training tomorrow. Now." Thranduil said softly as he swept into the room soundlessly. Legolas rose and looked tenderly over at his sleeping young friend and then back at his father with a serious expression.

"I promised her I would not leave her alone." he said in an equally hushed tone, careful not to wake Emily. To his surprise, Thranduil smiled slightly. Not his usually mocking smirk, but a real and warm look.

"I will stay and watch over her until you return." the elven king said as he moved to join his son on the balcony.

"You?-" Legolas was cut off suddenly when Emily let out a soft whimper and began to squirm in her sleep, breathing hard. He quickly moved towards the bed to wake her, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Allow me." Thranduil said calmly, and with that he glided over to the sleeping girl.

Legolas watched in fascination as his father, the typically cold and seemingly pitiless elf, gently bent over Emily while tenderly brushed her hair back from her forehead. He hushed her and murmured soothing words in elvish.

Emily didn't wake, but instead calmed almost instantly and ceased struggling against her dreams. Then she sighed contentedly in her sleep and snuggled closer him as the elf repeated the comforting motion of brushing back her hair. Thranduil smirked softly up at Legolas in triumph.

"I had forgotten you were so good at chasing the nightmares away ada..." Legolas whispered with a sad smile. The smirk vanished as Thranduil looked back down at the sleeping girl before him thoughtfully.

"So had I." he admitted to his son. Then coolly he dismissed Legolas. "Go, I will care for her until you return."

Confident that his father would keep his word, Legolas did as he was commanded. When he returned some time later, he saw that his father had not moved from Emily's bed side and was watching her with a sad far off expression that Legolas knew too well. Thranduil came to and then swiftly reformed his mask after realizing he had been caught in the act of being unguarded.

"She reminds me of them...sometimes so much so that it hurts to much to look at her." Legolas said quickly as Thranduil began to move away towards the door.

His father stopped short, still staring straight ahead. Then he turned and let the mask of indifference fall, reviling deep sadness and a gentle love that shined forth from his eyes.

"It is the same for me. It both torments and comforts my heart." said Thranduil, voice barely audible. Legolas opened his mouth to speak once more but was silenced when Emily stirred and was then sitting straight up in bed with half open eyes. Both elves turned their attention towards her.

"Legolas...I can't reach it." she said in an irritated voice. Thranduil raised an eyebrow and Legolas furrowed his brow, perplexed.

"Can't reach what _penneth?_" he said gently.

She swayed a little as her eyes closed then said with distress, "My towel, my arm's aren't long enough to reach, and now the squirrels are making fun of me."

"Emily, there are no squirrels in here and you don't need a towel right now." Legolas said as kindly as possible without laughing. She groaned and then put her face in her hands.

"Males! They're all the same! You just don't have a clue do you?" she said in a condescending voice and then lay back down.

Legolas just stared at her utterly baffled as she flopped back over onto her side muttering about 'mean squirrels'. Thranduil's face broke into a soft smile and his eyes were bright when Legolas turned to him.

"I do believe she is still asleep." stated the older elf. Legolas shook his head and then grinned. Emily spoke sleepily once more drawing their attention once again.

"Did you know that pie is a number and the cake is a lie?"

Thranduil shook his head and then patted his son on the shoulder affectionately as he swept out of the room saying, "Goodnight my son."

**AN: Righto, so that's a chapter. I know it wasn't terribly exciting, but more action is coming in later chapters. I tend to write emotion...psychological...but I'm trying to also keep a balance between that and action. Anyway, let me know what you think! And if you have requests, suggestions or things you would like to see happen in later chapters, do let me know! One more thing, in a chapter or so there will be possibly a moderate amount of pranking on the side...so if you have any idea's for that, let me know. I have some good thoughts already, but the more the merrier! Ok, I'm going to stop talking now. Take care folks and have a lovely day!**


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